The Runaway
by emile-ly
Summary: What happens when the Queen of UES runs away to Newport and meets her match in Seth Cohen? Will she finally be able to find pure, simple love with O.C.'s own Lonely Boy? A fluffy fic using references to Dair and Seth's relationship with Anna and Summer detailing Blair and Seth's relationship in the O.C. Inspired by Leighton and Adam's new budding romance. OC/Gossip Girl crossover.
1. Chapter 1 - The Runaway

**A/N: A lot of things taken from the actual GG and OC plots and dialogues, so I hope avid Dair and Seth/Summer shippers don't mind too much. I ship them both myself but Seth/Blair are too cute for words. Reviews will be greatly appreciated!**

Blair Waldorf was not a coward.

This is what she told herself as she adjusted her blouse and combed through her flawless hair, stalling as much as possible before having to drag herself to school. She had to admit that the latest scandal between her and Chuck had taken a major toll on her position as Queen Bee at Constance, and that things with Nate were probably beyond repair. That being said, it would not change the fact that Blair was in fact a Waldorf, and that Waldorf women don't hide themselves in times of difficulties – they fight through it with their heads held high.

Of course, what did change was the reality that Blair was no longer _attending_ Constance Billard; Gossip Girl has humiliated her through and through and has made it impossible for her to so much as walk past the school or the MET steps without having a group of random teenagers burst into snickers or ferocious whispers. Serena had talked her out of flying to France, but as far as she knew, Manhattan was no longer an option. Besides, it would be nice to try for a fresh start away from the snobbish Upper East Siders who only befriended her because of her mother. Blair was as ready as ever to start her new life, in where else but Orange County, California.

Granted, Orange County was not very Blair Waldorf at all – the surfer dudes and the comic book geeks, the giggly cheerleaders and drunken house parties – it all seemed so peasant-like and not fit for a Waldorf, who are used to being in the same social circles as royalty. But desperate times called for desperate measures, and if attending Harbor meant that she would have a chance at re-establishing herself on any social ladder again, then so be it. Besides, she told herself as she put on her last coat of lip gloss, Newport Beach did have their own share of the rich and famous, so she was sure she'd at least make a worthy minion or two. She glanced at her reflection one last time and muttered some words of self-reassurance under her breath before leaving her bedroom.

"Ms. Blair, perhaps a bagel to help you start your day?" Dorota appeared out of nowhere and held out what appeared to be a sandwich bag and waved it in front of Blair just as she was headed out the door.

"Dorota!" Blair exclaimed, sneering in disgust. "I'm late! And did you expect me to show up for my first day of school holding _this_ thing?" she asked, eyeing the bag suspiciously. She had originally set out to move to Newport on her own, but Dorota, being the loyal housekeeper and confidant of Blair that she was, insisted to come along to take care of her.

"Ms. Blair," Dorota reminded Blair tactfully, "remember you here to fit in, not be so special, like in Constance."

Blair rolled her eyes and held out her hand, snatching the bagel from Dorota's hands. This was not going to be easy to get used to. She had promised herself and informed Dorota that she was to remain as low-key as possible in Newport, in case that Gossip Girl was successful in extending her reach beyond New York and haunt Blair even while she was in California. She stepped out the door and checked her phone auspiciously, half-hoping that there would be some mention of Nate setting out to look for her, or maybe some positive words about Blair ever since she disappeared off Gossip Girl's radar. But nope – seems that what she feared most had happened – she had officially became irrelevant. She adjusted her headband and got into her car to yes – drive _herself _to school.

This was _definitely_ not going to be easy to get used to.

If getting to school was bad, arriving there was even worse. There were literally swarms of students dressed in their Abercrombie and Fitch t-shirts, flaunting their sun-kissed complexions, while Blair stuck out like a sore thumb with her pale ivory complexion. Back in New York, Blair enjoyed a little sun during the summer in the Hamptons, but nothing like the orange glow that was radiating off the skins of those in Harbor. Blair shook her head in disgust, lost deep in her own thoughts after a good round of people watching by her locker. _How tacky_, Blair thought to herself, as she saw a small, cute brunette in a tight hot pink halter top and short jean skirt. Beside her stood a tall, lean blonde, who reminded her a little of Serena, but more awkward and definitely less sexy. She shrugged her shoulders self-consciously and gave a half-smile to her chatty friend who never seemed to stop talking in a high-pitched valley girl accent.

"I mean like, how totally lame is that?" the girl said emphatically, slamming her locker shut. "I don't know how many times I have to tell him that I am just not interested!"

"Maybe you should just get to know him," the taller girl replied. "Ryan talks about him all the time, and he really isn't that bad. Maybe just a little weird."

"Yeah well, weird isn't really my thing. Anyway, forget about Co – " the short brunette suddenly stopped in the middle of her sentence as Blair realized in horror that she had been eavesdropping and ogling at the same time. She frantically tried to look busy and examined her timetable down to the last letter and prayed that the girls wouldn't notice her. She was not ready for another round of social humiliation so early on after leaving New York. But of course God wasn't listening to her prayers.

"Um, excuse me. What are _you _looking at?" the brunette snapped with a snarl. The funny thing was, if Blair had been on the other side of the conversation, she would probably have done the exact same thing, albeit in nicer shoes.

_Think of something clever_, Blair demanded herself, adjusting her headband and tilting her chin up ever-so-slightly to maintain a look of defiance. _This is your defining moment, Blair Waldorf. Don't you back down or you'll never establish yourself as Queen Bee here. It's social suicide_. She was just about to open her mouth in retort when, to her surprise, the two girls marched away past her, arm in arm.

"What a strange girl. What is she, from Twilight? And what's with the headband? I mean, _ew_," the brunette said in a voice just loud enough so that Blair could hear before disappearing along the corridor. Blair felt herself blush a little and looked around to check that no one else was looking. It seemed that chatty and self-absorbed teenagers were lurking around in every corner, but luckily, none of them were paying any attention to her. She sighed heavily and prepared herself for her next class.

"Don't worry about her," a voice said behind her. Blair turned around to find herself face-to-face with a curly-haired boy with a deep frown on his face. Out of habit, she looked at the boy from head to toe and almost did a double take. If she didn't know better, she would have mistaken the boy in front of her for Dan Humphrey. The pale complexion, neurotic self-consciousness (she could tell by the way he ran his fingers through his hair and shuffled his feet), his horrible preppy fashion sense – he even gave unsolicited advice like Humphrey.

Naturally, the boy continued without being prompted, "Summer. I meant Summer. Oh, but of course you don't know yet that she's Summer, but yes, she's Summer Roberts, just about _the_ hottest and most popular girl at Harbor aaaaand – I'm rambling. Sorry about that," he sticks his hand out suddenly. "And I'm Seth. Seth Cohen. Welcome to Harbor." Blair forces a smile and gingerly shakes his hands by the fingertips.

"Blair," she answered coldly, "Blair Waldorf. And thanks for that enlightening bit of information." With that, Seth looked as if he got the hint and pulled back his hand in understanding.

"Right. Not looking to make friends. Got it. Well, catch you later, Claire. Uh – Blair," he shook his head and waved as he walked backwards, bumping into a tanned, buff sophomore. He dodged a menacing shove as he shuffled his way along the hall, turning away from Blair. _Well_, _so much for meeting new friends_, Blair thought to herself. Maybe Dorota was right. She had at least _try_ to fit in here. After all, wasn't that what she came to Orange County to do? To be a normal teenager, like the rest of the people? What's more normal that chatting up an original Dan Humphrey in the hallway? _At least I know their type_, Blair thought to herself.

"Hey, wait up," she called behind him. "Seth, was it?" The dark-haired boy turns around and registers a look of complete shock on his face.

"Uh," he stammers as he looks left and right dramatically, "you mean me?" _Gosh_, Blair thinks to herself_. This guy is even more pathetic than Humphrey. At least Humphrey tried to be intellectual. This one's just plain daft._ Nonetheless, Blair did her best to plaster the friendliest, most genuine smile and gave him her best doe-eyed expression while she quickened up her pace to catch up to him.

"Well, your name _is_ Seth, isn't it?" she asked sweetly.

Seth's eyebrows furrowed in confusion and for a split second, Blair found him the slightest bit attractive, in an abandoned puppy dog type of way. "Uh, no. I mean, yes. Well, it's just that, no one really talks to me around here, that's all," Seth managed to utter.

_Oh, great, _Blair rolled her eyes, turning her head aside so Seth wouldn't see her. She took one chance to regain her social dominance, and of course she had to waste it on a carbon copy of Dan Humphrey, who would no doubt turn out to be the biggest loser in the history of high school. She was just about to walk away when she heard a giggle to her left.

"Who wears headbands?" a girl whispered loudly to her friend. Blair touched her hair in horror as a bunch of water polo players walked past her and snickered loudly, nudging each other while eyeing her knowingly. She felt suddenly self-conscious and wished as hard as she could that she would just disappear. She was used to attention from boys, but was always used to them looking up at her as if she were royalty, deserving their greatest respect and adoration. The looks that those boys gave her made her feel small and vulnerable, like she was a doll on display to be criticized and ridiculed openly by the lowest of the lows. She tried desperately to maintain her poise and stature while her bottom lip quivered ever so softly.

Seth was watching her every reaction, and gently took her aside. "Hey, don't pay attention to those guys, okay? I think headbands are hot." With that, he gave her a charming smile and offered his arm, nodding at her in encouragement. Blair took a deep breath, and looked into his deep, brown eyes.

_Tell him to save it, _her subconscious screamed frantically at her. _Tell him that you're Blair Waldorf and you don't need his pity!_ But the truth was, she had had a very, _very_ long month, and she needed every ounce of pity and acceptance that she could get. And if it was going to come from an awkward, geekish boy in a Death Cab t-shirt, then well – she was in no position to be choosey.

"Okay," she replied, putting her arm in his after a small moment of hesitation. "Just don't get too handsy." Seth held up his hands in a gesture of exaggerated innocence, which made Blair laugh a little, in spite of herself. She relaxed her shoulders and cleared her throat. "Now Cohen, tell me," she said pointedly, holding out her new timetable, "how _do _I get to this drama class?"

"In fact, Waldorf," Seth replied. "I happen to have drama next period as well. Walk together?" he said, more like a statement than an actual question. And without answering, the Queen Bee herself gathered up all the courage and pride she had left, and walked through the halls, arm-in-arm with Seth Cohen.


	2. Chapter 2 - The Outsider

The rest of the week flew by rather quickly, and Blair found herself no more accustomed to Harbor than she was on her first day. Her only highlight of the day, sadly, were classes with Seth Cohen, Newport's very own Lonely Boy. She could just imagine the names Gossip Girl would give him on the Upper East Side – Emo Boy, Neurotic Boy, Comic Book Geek Boy – whatever. Just _so_ not the type of boy she would be caught dead hanging around with. The problem was, she didn't really have much choice. Every time she approached other people at the school, they scattered like she was carrying the plague. Today was just the same; Blair had been hanging around the cafeteria with a lunch tray, pretending to be lost, and hoping that someone would invite her to sit with them. _Cafeteria tables_, Blair thought. _So much beneath me_. She sighed wistfully as she recalled the times she'd spent having lunch with the girls on the MET steps, looking as pristine as ever. She was just about to toss away her entire meal in exchange for a froyo when she heard a familiar, shrill voice calling out to her.

"Hey, Blair! Waldorf, is that you?" Seth Cohen called out behind her. Blair had to admit that Seth was the only "friend" that she had made so far in Harbor, but was still not ready to commit social suicide by being seen with him in public. She quickened her pace and ditched her lunch tray, than brushed her hands off cleanly. With a smirk of self-satisfaction, she proceeded to continue walking to find a lunch spot where she could start recruiting her new minions. She was confident that today would be the day. Then came another familiar voice behind her.

"Ew, Cohen. Are you friends with that headband freak?" Blair whipped around sharply to see the gossipy brunette that she had met earlier in the week, eyeing her with a disgusted look on her face. She quickly scanned the area and realized that Seth was sitting with the brunette and the awkward pretty blonde, as well as another cute, dirty blonde street smart type. _Not bad, _Blair thought to herself. _A little short, but definitely easy on the eyes_. She quickly regained her stature and smiled deliberately at Seth, waiting to be invited. As if on cue, Seth gestured dramatically to an empty seat beside him, and gave Blair a comical wink. Blair rolled her eyes but smiled sweetly at him, nonetheless, carefully speculating the bench to see whether there were any leftover crumbs that would ruin her original one-piece by Waldorf Designs; there were, and she meticulously retrieved a silk handkerchief from her purse to brush it off quickly as if it contained a deadly virus. She then sat down carefully, taking care not to break eye contact with the petite brunette, who was now gawking at her.

"Don't mind if I do," Blair replied without so much as glancing over at Seth. "Blair. Blair Waldorf. And you are?" She aimed the question at the brunette, but did not bother to offer her hand. Blair was getting close to desperate for friends at the new school, but not desperate enough to not hold a grudge on anyone who dared to speak badly of her. Especially when the person in question sported tube tops and capris pants as part of their daily attire.

"She's uh – " Seth cut in nervously. "Summer. Summer Roberts. Remember I told you about her? She's best friends with Marissa. This is Marissa, meet Marissa Cooper, whose mom is now married to my, well grandfather, and yes, it's a long story. And oh, of course you haven't met Ryan. Ryan Atwood. But technically he's a Cohen, since my family adopted him not too long ago, so actually, he's really my brother. I actually think we're starting to look a little alike too, if you look at him from a certain angle – " Seth rambled on, standing up and gesturing to each of the people who were sitting at the table who now each had blank expressions on their faces. It seems as if they've grown accustomed to Seth's characteristic spasms. Finally, it was Summer who interrupted.

"Cohen, are you high? Just stop talking, okay?" Summer breathed an exasperated sigh and shot Seth a death glare, which prompted Seth to sit down again, slowly. Marissa glanced sideways, gave Blair a semi-friendly smile, while Ryan gave a half-wave. Blair shifted in her seat uncomfortably, suddenly at a loss of what to do next. The confidence she felt a moment ago seemed to have disappeared, along with her appetite.

"So, you're the new girl, right? Seth's told me a bit about you," Ryan offered as a way to break the awkward silence.

"Uh, yeah Blair. Tell them about yourself. About how you're from Manhattan, and the Upper East Side, no less. And about just how _excited_ you are to be here in Newport. I hope you could catch that sarcasm by the way, since – let's be honest. Who on earth would prefer this place over the Big Apple? Do people still _call_ it the Big Apple?" Seth spoke at approximately 80 words per minute as Summer tapped her fingers on the table impatiently.

"Well, I guess you just told us about her _for_ her so thanks for that, Cohen," Summer pointed out. Seth saluted and gave a stupid smile, seemingly unaffected by Summer's cutting tone. "So tell us, Blair. What brings you to Orange County? Had enough of Broadway and all that jazz and decided to hit the waves a little bit?"

"Oh, I'm more of an off-Broadway type of girl, and God no, I don't do surfing. God knows what kind of people have been in those waters, and what it would do to my hair," Blair's hand rose to touch her headband slightly, out of habit, while Seth nodded approvingly. "But yes, in a way, I've had enough to my life in Manhattan, and wanted to try 'keeping it real' here in Orange County, you know what I mean?" Blair laughed nervously and tried her best to seem at ease without going into too many details. After all, she didn't think that hooking up with both your sweetheart and his best friend would make a good debut story at Abercrombie land. To her dismay, Summer merely responded by examining her own nails, looking bored, while Marissa seemed as if she was trying to hide a giggle.

"Hey, Summer. I think we'd better get going. We have that…thing we've got to get to," Marissa declared suddenly, rising from her seat. She gave Ryan a soft peck, and dragged her friend away. Summer followed after her, looking slightly disoriented, and Marissa gave Blair the same awkward half-smile as a good-bye. _So golden girl and wife-beater blonde are an item, _Blair made a mental note of her observations. She continued to sit at a painfully upright position, waiting for someone, _anyone,_ to speak.

"So…that was a little awkward," Ryan finally said after what seemed like an eternity of silence. "Don't worry about the girls. They're…they're girls," he offered, for lack of a better word.

"Yes, and don't mind Ryan, either. He's not really good with words," Seth piped in, half-muttering. "But Waldorf, I must say, you really need to work on your social skills. And that's coming from me, so you know that's bad."

"My social skills?" Blair snapped in a voice that sounded higher and squeakier than usual. "What's wrong with my social skills?"

"Well, for one," Ryan chimed in, a little unwillingly, "no one wears headbands in this, er – decade." Blair shoots an accusing glare at Seth, who pretends to look elsewhere. "And, I mean, while you look like you practically walked out of a fashion magazine –"

"Thank you," Blair replied curtly.

"Oh, you didn't let me finish. You also look like you're trying _way_ too hard," Ryan continued ruthlessly as Seth waved his arms as if asking to be saved from a burning building in hopes of stopping him. He gestured to a group of girls nearby. "Look at everyone here. I mean everyone's in tank tops and jeans, and you - well, you just don't fit in." Seth deflates like a balloon after Ryan's explanation.

"This happens to be an Eleanor Waldorf original," Blair managed to reply in a small voice.

"Which _I _think looks really nice, Ryan," Seth answered emphatically, shooting razor-sharp death glares at Ryan. "Look, Blair. I think what Ryan's _trying_ to say, is that, maybe – just _maybe_ – you can work in something a little more low-key, a little more, you know, _casual_ into your wardrobe, and take it from there." Seth waited uneasily for Blair's reaction, holding his breath.

Blair was at a loss for words. Blair Waldorf, who had once been quite literally, the fashion police at Constance Billard, was now being schooled by two boys dressed in what looked like hand-me-downs on what not to wear. This was really a nightmare. But she also had to admit that she looked ridiculously different from everyone else at Harbor, and that she was getting nowhere closer to social domination. She nods, defeated.

"Look, do you have anything to do after school?" Seth asked. Blair shook her head dejectedly. Seth and Ryan shared a look. "Well, how about we take you shopping? I don't know much about clothes, but I guess I could – " Seth holds out his arm like a coat hanger, "lighten your load a little? What do you say?" Blair looks helplessly, unsure of how to respond.

"Well, sorry but count me out. Shopping's not really my thing. Plus, I promised I'd study with Marissa after school today," Ryan replied as he got up from his seat. "You two have fun though. Don't worry, Blair. Seth has excellent taste," he said with a tight smile and he prepared to walk away. "See you around!"

"So, I guess it's just you and me, then. Are you up for it? Could go to the mall? Maybe also give you a brief tour of the oh-so-exciting Newport Beach while we're at it? That was a bit of the Seth Cohen sarcasm, just in case you didn't notice," Seth stammered, suddenly not so confident anymore without Ryan's presence.

"Yes, I think I can recognize it by now, thanks," Blair replied as she rolled her eyes yet again. But before she could continue with another snide remark, she realized that this emo, geeky, and neurotic curly-haired disaster was pretty much the only hope she had of a somewhat normal life after her debacle with Chuck Bass. She swallowed the lump that had gathered in her throat, and genuinely smiled at him and said,

"Take me there."


	3. Chapter 3 - The Debutant

**A/N: Thanks for your support so far! I've been trying to post daily, but can't promise that I can keep it up. Will try my best though! Lots of thanks to those who have followed and left reviews - feedback is greatly appreciated since I'm totally new at this! Lots of fluff coming up for Seth and Blair so stay tuned!**

"Maybe what I need is some sort of coming out party – like a debutant ball – but just for me!" Blair suddenly exclaimed, while Seth and Blair were taking a yogurt break from their exhausting shopping trip.

"You mean like, the Cotillion?" Seth asked skeptically. Seth hated parties. Especially fancy ones where tuxedos were involved.

"Yes, like the Cotillion," replied a bright-eyed Blair, "but of course one that's much more sophisticated and tasteful…one that spells Blair Waldorf. It would be the perfect chance for everyone in Harbor to get to know me!"

"You really want to invite all these kids you don't know to a party?" Seth asked with a frown.

"Trust me, no one throws a party like Blair Waldorf, and by the end of the week, all of Harbor will be dying to know me," Blair stuck a spoonful of yogurt into her mouth, looking satisfied.

"Is there a reason why you always refer to yourself in third person?" Seth asked under his breath. Blair narrowed her eyes at him and feigned a smile, while Seth mirrored her expression. "Well, have fun at your party. Parties aren't really my thing, and you know, me being there won't exactly help your reputation or anything," Seth said matter-of-factly.

"Well, don't come on my account," Blair replied curtly. She didn't want to hurt his feelings, but it was true – Seth Cohen showing up as a guest of honor would not help her social status any, and she needed to try to break free and make it on her own. It was best that Emo Boy wouldn't hang around her all night when she was scouting the pool of candidates for new minions. Seth looked slightly disappointed, but nodded silently to himself, mouth pressed into a line. Blair suddenly felt a pang of her least favorite emotion – guilt. She knew that Seth had gone out of his way to be nice to her, and that she should probably return the favor. Who knows, maybe she can even help him be somebody in the school by association.

"Alright," Blair declared with authority, "you can come. Just not in that shirt…and after you get a haircut." She snickered to herself as she remembered that she had said almost the exact same thing to Dan Humphrey when he first started dating Serena. Which reminded her…Serena! Her BBF was always the life of the party. True, Blair often resented her for her party girl ways and her wild reputation, but she had to admit that Serena knew how to have a good time – something that Blair needed to learn to do. Without Serena at her side, Blair felt more awkward and self-conscious than ever.

That night, she called Serena and asked her to fly over to Newport for the weekend for her first party in Orange County.

"I'd love to! I've been meaning to visit anyway," Serena squealed. "How's it going there, by the way? You hardly reply my texts! I miss you like crazy!"

"How's Nate?" Blair asked, changing the subject. She didn't want to tell Serena how hard it's been for her to make new friends away from home. Of course, Serena would have made a dozen new friends by now, with her naturally warm demeanor and general ease with strangers.

"Nate…seems to have patched things up with Chuck. Maybe you can think about coming back, B. I mean, people move on to new gossip pretty quickly on the Upper East Side. I'll bet no one even remembers what happened between you guys by now," Serena offers, half pleadingly. But Blair had already made her decision, and no one could change Blair Waldorf's mind once it was set on something. Blair was committed to throwing the most epic party of the year – a mint color-themed party bringing the cold to the O.C. All she needed was her best friend with her to get the party started. She would have Dorota on the invitations pronto, and her house would be party-ready by the weekend.

The week seemed to fly by, and soon enough, Blair was at her place, waiting nervously for Serena to arrive. She had gotten her favorite caterers from New York to fly in just for the occasion, and a florist to arrange light blue hydrangeas that were just light enough to pull off the mint theme. She took a step back and admired her work – looks like Newport hasn't affected Blair's razor-sharp intuition when it came to putting together a kick-ass party. The room was covered with frosted ornaments which dangled from the high ceiling; mint-tinted desserts ranging from Pierre Hermé macarons to custom-ordered Magnolia cupcakes lined the oak tables that had been set up especially for the occasion. Even Dorota had a matching light mint apron for the event. Blair herself was dressed in an elegant, vintage A-line dress that showed enough of her back to make her seem relevant in this century, after taking a few lessons from Seth. She arranged the line of pearls around her neck and ran her fingers through her hair, which was left headband-free tonight – also courtesy of Seth Cohen. She was slightly annoyed at how much his opinions had been affecting her lately, but she blamed it on her lack of available references. _That would all change tonight_, she told herself encouragingly. Just then, Serena van der Woodsen slipped gracefully through the front door, arms held open.

"B!" Serena exclaimed with a smile that lit up the room. "Come here, you!" With that, she ran to her petite best friend and swept her off her feet.

"Oooh," Blair squealed nervously as she took in the embrace, cautiously making sure that her outfit would not get wrinkled in the process. "You're here!" Serena looked effortless in an almost sheer white top paired with a sequined mint miniskirt and gold pumps. _She would fit right in here_, Blair thought to herself, suddenly feeling a pit at the bottom of her stomach and a nagging suspicion that maybe asking Serena to come may not have been the best idea. She quickly led her friend into the room and showed her around. "Well," she said, holding her breath expectantly, "what do you think?"

"It looks great, B. They're going to love you," Serena told her sincerely. "It's really so good to see you." Serena hugged Blair again, and for a moment, Blair thought she would, just maybe, make it through the night. Just then, the doorbell rang, and Dorota scooted over to answer the door. It was Seth and Ryan, followed by Marissa, then Summer, who was peeking behind them cautiously. Blair opened her mouth to explain that they were a little early, but before she could say a word, a bunch of guys from the water polo team pushed through the door with a 6-pack in their hands.

"Sweeeet!" some tanned Joshua Jackson lookalike called out while letting out a low whistle, and he and his friends pushed through the carefully-arranged flowers and desserts, grabbing handfuls at a time. Blair wanted to protest, but before she knew it, the entire house was packed with teenagers – all of them in all colors of the rainbow – all except mint.

"Yeah, color-themed parties…not really a Newport thing," explained Seth, who was sandwiched between a bootylicious redhead and a boy who was obviously stoned. Just when Blair was about to hide away in her room out of humiliation, Serena decided to take charge of the situation and marched her friend on top of the stairs, holding up her arm.

"Hey, listen up everyone! This is my girl, Blair Waldorf, your hostess for tonight. Let's give her a hand for the party of the year!" Serena led the crowd in a loud cheer, and everyone clapped along and laughed, raising their beer bottles and whatever they could find. "Now let's get this party started!" With that, Serena took out her iPod, plugged it into the Blair's computer, and blasted the speakers to the max. Sure enough, the teens looked as if they were having the time of their life, dancing and drinking the night away. Within minutes, boys from all corners of the room began to inch closer to Serena, hoping to strike up a conversation with her, or just to score her number. Serena flirted back effortlessly, always managing to steer the chat back to Blair and how excited she was to be in Newport. Blair knew that Serena was just trying to help, but she couldn't help but feel frustrated at how she had managed to once again steal the spotlight away from her, even though they were in Newport, which was supposed to be _her_ turf. When Serena was pulled aside by yet another Abercrombie model lookalike, Blair finally snuck away to find a peaceful corner so she could spend some quiet time to reflect on what a total disaster the night was turning out to be.

Just as she was about to cry into her mint-tinted martini, Seth Cohen walked up to her, peering curiously at her expression.

"What's up, Waldorf? Aren't you having a good time? I know this isn't exactly the best music, but at least it seems that you've caught on to what gets these Newport zombies going," Seth joked, hoping to get a smile out of Blair, but to no avail. He softened up his tone when he realized that Blair was genuinely upset. "You wanna get some air? Go find a quieter spot and just talk?"

"Save it, Cohen. I am _not_ playing seven minutes in heaven with you," Blair retorted, a bit more harshly than she had intended. Perhaps the alcohol and her frustration at how the party had turned out were getting to her a bit more than she'd like to admit. Seth put up both his arms as a gesture of protest, and Blair sighed and led Seth up the stairs to her bedroom. She could probably use a break from all of this, anyway, and it wasn't like anyone was going to notice that she was missing from her own party at this rate.

Blair grabbed him by his collar and led the way, stomping up the stairs, while Seth trudged silently behind her. She closed the door behind them and slumped immediately onto her bed, dejected. Seth glanced at her, unsure of what to do next, and stuffed his hands into his pockets, scanning over her room. He caught sight of her Cabbage Patch Kid and started towards it, which made Blair shoot up defensively, grabbing it from her bookshelf, and stuffing it under her blankets.

"Captain Oats would probably like her," Seth remarked, amused at Blair's reaction.

"Who on _earth_ is Captain Oats?" Blair asked, immensely annoyed. Why was this loser in her bedroom, anyway? Must be the alcohol.

"My prized stallion. He's a charmer, that one. I'll introduce you to him when I get the chance," Seth replied, taking a seat cautiously on Blair's bed. Blair shrugged and didn't seem to have any reaction to Seth making himself at home, so he lied down next to where she had plopped on her soft bed, watching her. "So, are you ready to tell me what's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong," Blair replied bitterly. "Can't you notice? The party's great! Everyone's having a blast. Everyone except me." Blair sighed heavily, turning her head slightly away from Seth so he wouldn't see the tear that was collecting at the corner of her eye and ready to trickle down any moment now.

"But I thought that's what you wanted. You know, to throw this epic, awesome party that would be talked about all year. They're having a good time," Seth implored, half-knowing the answer to the question himself.

"What I wanted – " Blair started, but stopped herself, voice cracking a bit. "What I wanted was to have people notice me, to have them welcome me to this stupid place, to _like_ me." Blair paused, feeling stupid that she had spoken such pathetic words, and to Seth Cohen, of all people.

"Well, how do you know they don't like you? You look nice today," Seth said, paying her a genuine comment. He paused a little, fully appreciating how beautiful she was for the first time, especially with her hair in loose curls, and in her feminine dress showing her delicate curves. Blair's face was as perfect as a porcelain doll, and she was not pretty in the same way that Summer was, but possessed a more complex beauty, a – _sadder _one, somehow.

"They barely even know I'm alive!" Blair finally let out, crying fully now. "It's all the same, no matter where I go. It's always Serena this, Serena that. Nate, my mother, the girls, and now the people here, in Newport. It's always about Serena! She takes everything away from me. I'm never going to make it out here on my own!" Blair turned around to muffle her own sobs with her pillow. She was disgusted and horrified by her own reaction and sudden outburst, but was too tired to try to hide how she felt.

"Who on _earth_ is Serena?" Seth asked unequivocally, for he honestly had no idea who it was that Blair was talking about. Seth only saw two girls in the entire room that night, one being Blair, and the other of course, being Summer. Seth's candid reaction caught Blair off-guard and she laughed a little, throwing her pillow at him.

"The gorgeous blonde, you dumbass," she whined, crying and laughing at the same time. She felt a little bit better, knowing that at least there was some clueless band geek that _wasn't_ into Serena. She wiped away her tears with the back of her hand and sniffled. "She's my best friend, from New York. People worship her there. Here. Everywhere." She plopped back on her back, sighing heavily.

"You sound like a Dr. Seuss book," Seth remarked, handing her a tissue from her bedside table. He picked up a framed picture of Blair with the blonde, and two other boys. "And are one of these boys Nate?" he asked, bringing over the picture.

"Yeah, my boyfriend – _ex-_boyfriend," she corrected herself as she took the picture from him, then put it face-down into her blankets. "But it's all history now. I'm here, and I just wanted to have a fresh start, you know. But I guess it's just me. No matter where I go, I just don't belong." She looked up at him. "You don't have to be here, you know. I don't need your pity. I'm used to playing second fiddle." Blair sat up suddenly, collecting herself and straightening out her dress. Seth sat up beside her and moved closer to her, looking into her sad, brown eyes.

"Look, you've only been here two weeks, and you think no one's noticed you – which, by the way, isn't true, because I just overheard a bunch of water polo guys talking about how hot you were today – and here I am, having lived here my entire dismal life, and _still_ no one notices I'm alive." Blair shifts uncomfortably next to him, not wanting to make eye contact with him. "I know it may not be very comforting to you to be compared to the biggest loser in Newport, but before Ryan came, I thought I would be alone forever. I hated this place. And it may not seem like much to you, but you know, it's not so bad now. Heck, I _still_ hate this place, but at least I have someone to complain to about it. And you will too, one day. You're a smart, pretty girl, with a sharp tongue and a good sense of humor. Who doesn't like that?" Seth paused, checking for her reaction. "_I_ like you, if that means anything." Blair's eyes met his and for a second, she felt as if a slight electric current had run through her entire body, making her blood feel warm. She could feel her cheeks flushing from what she told herself was the alcohol that didn't seem to be going away, and forced herself to look away.

"That doesn't, but thanks anyway," Blair couldn't help but reply, rolling her eyes. She knew she was lying, but she couldn't be left looking so vulnerable and weak in front of him. "So…you don't think I need to do anything extra to get these people to like me?" she asked, changing the subject.

"What _I_ think, is that the people who deserve to be your friends will like you and learn to accept you just the way you are. You can take my word for it," Seth said earnestly, bouncing off the bed and back on his feet. He held out his hand. "Now, are you ready to join me to for a dance at the most _epic_ party of the year, Queen Bee?"

"Cohens are hardly escort material," Blair answered slyly. "But I'll make an exception, just this once," she said, as she takes his hand and steps off the bed. She looked him right in the eye. "Thanks, Seth. I mean it. I know I may be a total bitch sometimes, but I'm glad you're around. Now not another word or you'll ruin the moment."

With that, Seth mimed as if closing his mouth with a zipper, making Blair laugh. They walked down the stairs, arm in arm, while the crowd welcomed her back with drinks in the air. Looks like Blair didn't go unnoticed after all.


	4. Chapter 4 - The Sidekick

**A/N: Some Seth/Anna references here. Actually had to re-watch S1E4 of the OC to help me get through this chapter, since I noticed halfway into writing it that Anna had actually done something similar with Seth before. Hope you like the build-up! **

Blair walked to class with a bounce in her step. There were plenty of things to feel happy about – after the party that Blair had thrown last week, people were finally starting to look at her with a new found respect. Granted, it didn't go exactly the way she had hoped – or even dreamed, for that matter – but nonetheless, at least no one referred to her as the 'new girl with the headband' anymore.

The other thing that she was feeling particularly chipper about as she made her way to class was the fact that she had drama next, which was becoming one of her favorite classes of all. Blair had always had a flair and an appreciation for the arts, being a drama queen by nature, but there was something more to it than that. Something that Blair could not quite put her finger on. She almost whistled as she walked into the class and plopped herself into her usual seat, right next to Seth Cohen, who was doodling something in his sketchbook. He glanced up and nodded at her to note her presence, then returned to his sketch. She inadvertently looked him over from head to toe. His hair was getting a little longer, and his dark brown curls began to droop down his ears. Funny she didn't notice how glossy his hair looked, even though unkempt hair wasn't usually her kind of thing. And still _isn't_. Though she couldn't help but notice that his fingers looked quite graceful gripping his pencil, and well, he _was_ quite good-looking – well, when he wasn't jabbering away, at least.

"What, is there something on my nose?" Seth said suddenly, brushing it with his free hand. _Crap_. Blair hadn't even noticed that she had been staring. Gawking was more like it. _Why the sudden interest in Seth Cohen? _A tiny voice asked inside her. She swallowed hard and tried to regain her composure.

"Nothing. I was just waiting for you to notice my new attire, that's all," Blair answered ever-so-gracefully. She got up slightly and motioned to herself. She was dressed in a casual v-neck sweater and a pair of skinny jeans – both from Marc Jacobs, mind you, but it was a step down from her usual ensemble, and she thought that the effort deserved a compliment.

Seth flashed a huge smile and nodded approvingly. "Hey! Not bad, Waldorf," he remarked, nudging her lightly. Blair suddenly noticed how white his teeth were. And perfectly straight. "Uh..helloooo! Blair?" Seth was suddenly waving his hand in front of her to get her attention. _Snap out of it!_ She scolded herself. She smiled, a little too brightly. Thankfully, just then, Mr. Bieman, the drama teacher, walked into the classroom. He was in the middle of teaching the basics of playwriting, which – let's be honest – Blair had mastered since 3rd grade. Her mind kept wandering off during the lesson, and it didn't help that Blair could literally feel Seth's body heat radiating off of him as his elbow touched her arm. _Why was he sitting so close? _Blair thought. _Doesn't he have any idea how to respect someone's personal space? _But she didn't move away, and actually found herself nudging closer to him.

"Hey, so – did you hear the rumor that's been going around?" Seth whispered in Blair's ear. Blair tried to respond naturally, but his hot breath against her ear was both irritating and distracting at the same time. _Why is he so close to me? Why am I getting goosebumps?_ "SO? Blair? Did you hear?" Seth's voice broke into her thoughts, drawing her attention back to what he was saying.

"Hear what?" Blair asked impatiently. She didn't want to get on Mr. Bieman's bad side – especially not for something as stupid as getting caught chatting in class with Seth Cohen.

"The rumor. Word is that we're…" Seth looked left and right like a ninja before finishing his sentence. " – _dating_."

"What?!" Blair stood up suddenly, unable to hide her shock. The entire class grew silent and stared at her, then at Seth.

"Get a room!" some girl commented, looking disgusted. Blair flushed practically hot pink as she seated herself back down.

"Mr. Bieman, can you give us a minute?" Blair asked, grabbing Seth violently by the arm.

"Ow ow ow OWWWW!" Seth yelled, "Blair, I think my arm's falling off!" Blair ignored his cries and gave Mr. Bieman her trademark doe-eyed innocent look.

"You kids had better get yourselves sorted out before you come back," Mr. Bieman said in a warning tone. Then, he gave a knowing glance to Seth and winked at him. Blair recoiled in horror and immediately dragged Seth out of the classroom after her.

"WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!" Blair practically growled at him. She was seething with anger. She didn't need this – not when things at school were finally going right. The last thing she needed was another rumor that would ruin her chances at being Queen Bee.

"What's wrong with _me_? I'm not the one who turned into a she-hulk in the middle of drama class," Seth answered, backing away from her. Blair finally let go of him, noticing that people around her were starting to whisper and stare. She dragged him to a quiet, isolated corner and tried again.

"Why would you _tell_ people that?" Blair continued, clearly vexed. She softened her tone, but kept a firm grip on his collar. "Look, I know we've been spending a lot of time together, and that, you know, it's hard not to overthink things. But you and I – " she looked around again before continuing, " – _not _happening. Got that?"

"What?! You think _I_ spread that rumor? Are you _crazy?_" Seth asked, clearly confused. He looked over Blair's menacing expression, realizing that she is dead serious. "Okay, don't answer that." Blair tightened her grip in response. "Ow! Okay, stop it!" Seth shook himself loose from her grip. "Listen, of _course_ it wasn't me who started that stupid rumor. Why would I do that when Summer –"

Just then, Summer appeared at the end of the corridor with Marissa, watching the two of them. She narrowed her eyes at them in disgust, then strutted away. Seth immediately broke free from Blair's grasp and headed after her.

"Wait – Summer! Summer! It's not what you think!" Seth slid down the hallway as fast as he could, blocking Summer's path.

"What – get away from me, Cohen!" Summer demanded, annoyed. Seth held out both his arms and refused to budge. Blair caught up with him, watching their interaction from afar. Suddenly, it all made sense.

"No, Summer. I will not get away from you." Summer turned away from him, crossing her arms. "Summer, I know what people have been saying about me and Waldorf," Seth started. Blair cringed at the way he spat out her name as if it were a dirty word. "But it's nothing like that. We're just _friends_. Right, Waldorf?" he called over to Blair.

"Of course," Blair answered, right on cue, even though she was overcome with an uneasy feeling that washed over her. Blair was very familiar with this feeling – it was the way she felt whenever Serena showed up, making Nate's eyes light up in response. She just didn't understand why she was feeling this emotion now, of all times.

"Just friends," she added, for insurance.

Seth flashed Blair a grateful smile that made Blair feel sick to her stomach. "See, Summer? Just friends. Nothing more. You know how I feel about you," Seth pleaded, taking Summer's hands.

Summer shook herself free from Seth's grasp. "Whatever, Cohen. You think I care whether or not you and Manhattan chick are dating? _Ew._" She rolled her eyes. "Come on, Coop. Let's go." Summer walked away with her chin up, with Marissa following closely behind. She gave Seth a helpless look and shrugged, looking sympathetic. A small crowd had collected around them to watch the commotion between Seth and Summer.

_Great. So the whole school knows what I was too blind to figure out on my own. _Not that it wasn't totally obvious that Seth was totally head over heels in love with Summer Roberts. He practically got a seizure every time she walked by. Blair recovered quickly and walked over to Seth. "Well, I'm glad we got _that_ cleared up," she said, as casually as possible. But Seth didn't pay any attention to her. He was slumped over and sat down on the floor, leaning against a locker. Sighing, Blair crouched down next to him. She wasn't about to let her clothes touch the bacteria-infested floor, but she couldn't bear the sad look on Seth's face. "So, you want to cry into my shoulder?" Blair asked in a sarcastic tone.

"Nah, not much meat there," Seth responded, not missing a beat. Blair shifted her eyes from left to right, trying to look bored. In reality, Seth's candid confession to Summer had left Blair with an empty feeling inside. It wasn't like she _liked_ him or anything, but she at least thought that Seth had _some_ sort of feelings for her after all the ways he had saved her through these past few weeks. But Blair was not one to wallow in self-pity. Nor would she allow Seth to. She took a deep breath.

"So, are you planning to sit there for the rest of your life?" Blair asked, crossing her arms as she got up.

"Meh, that's not a bad idea considering I'm probably gonna spend it alone, like the crazy cat lady," Seth replied.

"Oh, so _that's_ real sexy. Nothing more attractive than self-depreciating humor."

"My specialty."

Blair tried again. "You know what your problem is, Cohen?"

"Uh…I'm a Jewish boy with a lanky figure and a keen interest in comic books. Oh – and I'm not on the water polo team."

Blair smiled. He won some points with his sharp tongue and cutting sarcasm. She cleared her throat with authority. "The problem is, that you have no _confidence_," Blair said as she approached him. She stood, literally one inch away from his face. Seth could feel nervous beads of sweat running down his back. He had never been so close to a girl before. Especially not one as attractive as Blair Waldorf. Holding his gaze for just long enough, Blair finally took a step back, allowing Seth to relax. She didn't want to admit that her heart was literally jumping out of her chest, and instead, looked cool as ever as she looked right into his eyes. "I'll help you."

"What, like be my sidekick and fight crime together?"

Blair ignored his snark. "Help you impress the girl of your dreams. And help you grow some balls," Blair teased. "Girls don't want to be chased by needy boys. They want to be impressed by strong, confident _men_. See this as me returning a favor." Blair walked up to Seth again and reached out to unbutton the first button of his shirt. The move revealed his strong Adam's apple that made Blair's heart skip a beat again. Seth could feel the cool air hit is bare skin and felt goosebumps rising on his arm. He was too afraid to move a single muscle and kept perfectly still while Blair reached up to brush a strand of loose curl from his forehead.

"Confidence, Cohen," she whispered into his ear, before taking him by the hand and leading him back to the classroom.


	5. Chapter 5 - The Waltz

**A/N: Sorry for the long chapter! I find this one to be a sort of important milestone in Seth and Blair's relationship, so I hope you guys don't mind. The first half was written in Blair's POV, while the second half started with Seth's POV. I will play around with Seth's POV in later chapters. I'm forever grateful for the kind feedback and the follows so far. It really does keep me motivated and wanting to release a chapter every day!**

**Additional note: I hear that Blair Cohen was trending on twitter today! How crazy is that?! I wonder if our Blair is going to end up as Blair Cohen in The Runaway? *wink*  
**

"Okay," Blair said, setting down a binder in front of Seth as she suddenly sat in front of him while he was waiting for Ryan to show up to join him for lunch. "First things first. These are your research materials." She looked at him expectantly and waited for him to open the file.

Seth furrowed his eyebrows and looked up at Blair. "Easy there, Waldorf. I think you're taking this sidekick thing a little too seriously. What is this, an encyclopedia detailing what women want?"

Blair rolled her eyes at him. "Just open it, Cohen."

"Woah!" Seth jaw dropped open as he opened the binder to reveal a collage of topless men with bodies of Calvin Klein models. He immediately closed it. "And _why_ are you bringing me chick porn, may I ask?"

Blair opened the binder again. "This is not _porn_. This is _reference material_. For you. Look. This is what girls like, especially girls in the O.C. There are only several types of guys that are appealing for girls like Summer. One is the rich, womanizer type that functions like a girl magnet – which you would never be able to pull off with that skateboard of yours. Another is the beach body, hot lifeguard type, which – let's be honest, doesn't really scream Seth Cohen either."

"Great. So you put me a collage to highlight how much I suck. I really appreciate it, Blair," Seth said sarcastically.

"Well, you can't blame _me_ that you've chosen to fall in love with a superficial, brainless bimbo," Blair answered. "I'm merely supplying you with market information." Seth made a face. "Okay, fine. There _is_ one other way around it." Blair paused dramatically to wait for his reaction.

"First of all, I resent that comment about Summer being superficial. Second of all, _what_ other way?" Seth asked eagerly. Blair felt slightly annoyed by Seth's defense of Summer, but was too excited about her brilliant plan to care. She leaned forward and looked right at him, her eyes sparkling mischievously. It's been a while since Blair had schemed, and nothing felt better than to get back in the game. Seth also learned towards her anxiously.

"Make her jealous."

Seth immediately pulled back. "How's _that_ gonna work? She doesn't even look at me. What makes you think she would even _care_ to be jealous?"

Blair smiled knowingly. "Just shows how little you know about the opposite sex, Cohen. Girls like that are tired of being chased and worshipped. You said so yourself. You've been there for her all your life. She knows she's already got you eating out the palm of her hand," she watched as Seth nodded along thoughtfully, as if processing this new information. "What you really want to do is _ignore_ her, and stop giving her all that attention. Once you start doing that, she'll wonder why you've suddenly lost interest, and it'll be _her_ chasing_ you_." Blair leaned back and crossed her arms, satisfied.

Seth still looked a little doubtful, and opened his mouth in protest. "But – "

"Shh! Here she comes!" Blair clamps her hand over Cohen's mouth, and shifted to sit next to him. She flashed a sweet smile at Summer. "Hi, Summer! Are you sitting with us for lunch today?"

Summer looked at the both of them, with an expression of confusion on her face.

"Here, Summer -" Seth was about to ask Summer to sit when Blair elbowed him sharply in this ribs. "Owww!" screamed Seth. Blair reacted quickly.

"Oooh Seth, are you alright?" She put her hand on his stomach and cooed in a babyish voice. "Is your tummy still hurting?" Blair looked up at Summer to explain, "he had a little too much ice cream after dinner last night."

Summer narrowed her eyes at Seth and Blair. "Who cares?" she responded, then stomped away, appearing vexed. Just then, Ryan and Marissa appeared with their lunch trays.

"Hi Blair, _again_," said Ryan, giving Seth with a meaningful look. "What happened to Summer?"

"Um, I'm going to see if she's alright," Marissa said, getting up. She smiled politely at Blair, then left the table.

"Oh, Ryan! Blair was just helping me get Summer's attention. And I think it worked! Did you see her face? She was totally pissed." Seth pumped his fist in the air and offered his hand to Blair for a high-five.

She shook her head at him smugly. "You are _such_ an amateur. That was nothing. If you _really_ want to make her jealous," she pulled out two tickets and placed them on top of the binder. "Take me to the dance. That'll _really_ get to her."

"I thought you said high school dances were lame," Seth pointed out.

"They are. But so's the girl you the have the hots her, so _she'll_ care."

"Uh – Summer already has a date to that. Some guy on the water polo team asked her and we're all going together this Friday. Marissa told me," Ryan interruped matter-of-factly.

"That's good information, Chino, but that was _before_ Summer realized that Seth may not be into her anymore. Just watch and learn, boys. Watch and learn," Blair assured. "Now if you'll excuse me, boys. I have some girls who are waiting for their queen," she got up and looked in the direction of a bunch of girls dressed in vibrant colors of the rainbow, looking like miniature Blair Waldorfs, waving at her excitedly, each with a yogurt in their hands. "Enjoy your lunch." Bending down slightly, she whispered next to Seth's ear, "Pick me up at 7 sharp. Oh and -" she pulled out a package from her Chanel handbag and handed it to Seth. "I have this thing about ties. See you!" With that, Blair walked away slowly and deliberately, allowing the girls to wait for her.

"Well, at least we don't have to worry about her not finding friends here," Ryan said, watching Blair as she apparently began schooling her minions on their inappropriate attire.

Seth snorted. "Did you really think it would take her long? She's got the attitude of a French poodle and the bank account of Bill Gates. I knew the little lamb would find her place sooner or later in a place like Newport."

Ryan laughed along with Seth, talking about the girls and their otherwise uneventful day at school. Meanwhile, Blair watched from the corner of her eye and smiled to herself, satisfied that her scheme was going exactly as planned. Summer had gotten on Blair's nerve the moment she arrived at Harbor. Watching her squirm from Seth's new attachment to Blair and making sure that Seth would take her to the dance would be killing multiple birds with one stone. It was true that she thought high school dances were _so_ beneath her, but she couldn't risk not being seen at a major social event at Harbor. Even if it meant showing up with Seth Cohen. She had managed to collect a handful of followers in the past couple of weeks, but the boys were still a little too intimidated to approach her. _Plenty of chances after I take care of this_, she told herself.

Friday came before Seth knew it, and he found himself struggling to put on his tie due to a serious case of nerves. He hated these sorts of events, and always came up with whatever excuses he could in order to sit out. However, with Ryan in town, it seemed that he was attending these parties every single weekend. _Plus, this one would be different_, he told himself. This is the one time where Summer Roberts would finally notice him, and _she _would be the one chasing _him_.

He wasn't sure how he had gotten himself into this situation in the first place, but he had to admit that he had begun to enjoy spending time with Blair. Drama lessons were not so ridiculous anymore, as he watched the look of concentration on her face as she threw herself into her portrayal of every single character. Granted, she was even scarier than Summer when you got on her bad side – which was saying a lot considering Summer suffered from rage blackouts – but she also had this charming wit to her that Seth found rather captivating. Too bad he had been sure since the moment he laid eyes on Summer Roberts that she would be the one for him. And you don't mess with destiny. Finally giving up, he tore the tie away from his neck and stuffed it in his pocket. Blair would just have to do without the tie.

He showed up right on time at Blair's door, and was led inside by Dorota, Blair's housekeeper. Seth found it quite amusing, actually, that Blair had her own housekeeper, considering that the majority of Seth's acquaintances were all loaded, but not even _they_ had their own personal maids and chauffeurs. Blair Waldorf was of a different class altogether. He casually examined the hydrangeas that were carefully arranged by the hallway mirror when he was distracted by the apparition standing on the steps. In front of him stood Blair Waldorf, looking immaculately flawless in a lilac Elie Saab detailed with embroidered lace that was just elegant enough without making her look overdressed. He knew that not everyone could pull off such a classy look at a high school dance, but that Blair would be the obvious exception. Seth was sure that he would have on his arms the most beautiful girl in Newport tonight, Summer or no Summer. He opened his mouth, but couldn't seem to find the right words.

"B-b-blair, you look…you look -" he started, then stopped.

Blair kept calm through his stammering, even though she had a good idea of why he became tongue-tied. She gestured nonchalantly at herself. "Oh, this? My mother's good friends with Elie, so he sent me an original." She stopped suddenly, then frowned. "Where's the tie I gave you?"

Seth reddened, then pulled it out from his pocket. "Oh, it's here. For all the parties I've been to in Newport, I've somehow still managed to not know how to put on a tie. My mom usually does it for me, but she was out today, so - "

"Shhh!" Blair stepped down gracefully from the stairs and took the tie from his hand. Without a word, she looked him in the eye and swung the tie over his neck, then expertly knotted it into a full-windsor, her eyes never leaving Seth's. Seth felt something stir inside of him, and grew uncomfortably hot. He noticed her full eyelashes and that she had put on some light makeup today, which highlighted her delicate features. Her lip-gloss made her lips full and fleshy, and for a moment, Seth allowed himself to stare at her them. He glanced at her impeccable color coordination right down to her shoes, then noticed the shade of his own tie.

"Did you get me this to match your dress?" Seth asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I told you I have this thing about ties," Blair answered, a smile forming on her perfect lips. After helping Seth adjust his collar, she stepped back and looked him over, as if examining a piece of artwork.

"Not bad, Cohen, if I do say so myself. You clean up nice." It was the closest Blair had come to paying a compliment ever since Seth has met her. For some reason, it gave him all the confidence he needed to confront the rest of tonight. That's right – tonight. Seth suddenly remembered the whole point of all this, and glanced at his watch.

"Oh! We're gonna be late! We've got to get there before Summer does so she can see us when she walks in with her pathetic water polo player," Seth exclaimed, pulling Blair towards the door. He was in so much of a rush that he didn't notice Blair's look of disappointment as he rambled on about his expectations of Summer's reaction. Blair rode beside him silently to the dance, as Seth jabbered on continuously about all the times he had successfully ignored Summer at school that week.

As soon as they arrived at the dance, Blair began to relax and started to enjoy herself. Seth looked around anxiously for Summer and her date. Finally, he caught a glimpse of Ryan and Marissa, then next to them, Summer and her date, chatting with each other by the bowl of fruit punch, that had probably been spiked with enough alcohol to keep the entire school drunk by then. Summer looked as cute and charming as ever in a red strapless dress with a short tulle skirt, and Seth had trouble deciding who he found more attractive – the elegant and flawless Blair Waldorf, who was on his arm, or the sexy and radiant Summer Roberts, who was standing across the room. Just then, Summer's gaze met Seth's, and her eyes quickly darted away again, avoiding his glance.

As if on cue, Blair quickly pulled Seth aside and whispered in his ear, "Dance with me." They moved to the dance floor just as the intro of Death Cab's _A Lack of Color_ came on. "I love this song! Not bad for a _lame_ high school dance," Blair joked.

"Meh, sometimes they get a thing or two right," Seth answered distractedly. The truth was, he wanted to approach Summer as soon as possible, or at least make sure that they were dancing in full view of her. But Summer was already happily chatting with Marissa, and seemed to barely notice Blair and Seth. He shifted uncomfortably next to Blair, and accidentally stepped on her toes.

"Ow! Seth! These are thousand-dollar Louboutins!" Blair exclaimed, stepping away. She glared at him menacingly. "Now concentrate and stop ruining the moment!"

"Sorry," mumbled Seth. He swayed along with her a little more, but couldn't help but turn his head every five seconds to check on Summer and her date.

"Cohen!" Blair looked extremely cross, hands on her hips.

"Look, Blair. You think maybe we're doing this wrong? Summer isn't even looking at us anymore! Maybe I should just go and try to talk to her," Seth said, already walking in Summer's direction.

"What? Where are you going? STOP!" Blair demanded. "Get back here, Cohen!"

"I thought we were here so I could get Summer," Seth pointed out. "Look, your plan clearly isn't working. So let's just call this off and I can explain to Summer before she gets the wrong idea about - " Seth gestures towards the both of them. " – this." He starts to walk off.

"No! Who _cares_ about Summer Roberts and her brainless date?!" Blair responded, frustrated.

Seth whirled around to face her again. "_I_ do. That's the only reason why I came here in the first place. Look, you said you had a plan! I'm no closer to getting her than I was before this whole thing. Now would you please let me go?"

"But who's going to dance with _me_?" Blair whined, trying to keep her composure to prevent making a scene. "You get back here this instance and don't you dare walk away from me again, Seth Cohen. I'm not about to let you leave me here without a date like some first-class loser who gets dumped at the prom."

Seth gave her a dumbfounded look. "So…let me get this straight. _That's_ why you made me take you to the dance? To make sure that _you_ wouldn't have to look bad? So what does any of this have to do with me and Summer?"

"Nothing. I couldn't care less whether you got that dumb bimbo to fall in love with you. She's too stupid to appreciate what she's got, anyway." Blair had sincerely meant it as a compliment, but all Seth heard was her confession that he had been set up this whole time.

"I can't believe you and how completely self-absorbed you are. Did you even care about helping me at all? I thought we were friends!"

"_I'm _self-absorbed? _You're_ the one who couldn't stop babbling on and on about Summer the whole goddamn night. Way to show respect to your date. I don't see why you're getting so upset! It's not like you didn't get anything out of it. Any of these guys would _kill_ to be able to get to take me to a dance. You should be grateful that I chose you," Blair spat out defensively. She didn't understand why he was getting so worked up when she was the one with everything to lose.

Seth looked at the floor and shook his head bitterly. "You know what, you're right. I'm sure any of these guys would gladly dance with you. So I'm out." He grabbed his tie and pulled it roughly over his head. "And you can have your tie back. Give it to your next prop." With that, he stuffed the tie into her hand and walked off, marching straight to Summer.

Blair stood by the side alone, watching Seth approach Summer. Summer hesitated, looked at her date, then sighed and walked aside to talk to Seth. Blair glared at the two while they talked intensely, and she rolled her eyes as she saw Seth pleading with her. A shy-looking boy who Blair recognized to be in her History class walked up to her and asked her for a dance while she was looking on to the couple.

"Buzz off! Queens don't dance with frogs," Blair snarled at him. The boy backed away as if attacked by a rapid dog, and Blair let off a vibe dangerous enough to be left alone for the entire night, save one or two clueless suitors. She was literally seething with anger as she watched Seth prance around Summer pathetically, trying to win her approval. Finally, it seemed as if he had succeeded, since Summer finally took his hand as he led her to slow dance in the middle of the dance floor. Blair tried to look away as she sipped on a spiked glass of fruit punch. _Real classy, _she thought to herself, feeling downright miserable. She should have known that high school dances would be a bad idea.

As if out of nowhere, Ryan suddenly walked up to Blair, taking away her glass of vodka-punch. "Uh, I think we've had a little too much of that, don't you?"

"I don't need a chaperone, thank you very much," replied Blair, turning her attention back to Summer and Seth, who were now dancing to a faster song, bumping and grinding while all the time laughing on the dance floor. Marissa had joined them and the trio looked as if there were having the time of their lives.

"Why don't you join them?" Ryan asked, nodding in the direction of his friends. "I'm not much of a dancer, but you look like you could use some action."

Blair shook her head, and fought to hold back tears. It must be the alcohol getting to her head. "I think I'm just going to call it a night," she replied, without looking at Ryan. She turned sharply and marched out through the double doors, walking into the cool night air. She shivered a little as she held herself closer, then managed to hail over her chauffeur, who had thankfully been waiting for her, just for tonight. After her escapade involving Victrola and Chuck Bass, she knew better than to party irresponsible without a planned route of escape.

She walked into the limo and slammed the door behind her. Luckily, the tinted windows meant that the chauffeur wouldn't be able to see the tears that were streaming down Blair's delicate face. Her bottom lip quivered as she tried to hold them in. _Get a grip_, Blair demanded herself. She didn't even know why she was so upset. It didn't seem like anyone noticed Blair was all alone, or even cared for that matter. Her minions were with their own dates, and were preoccupied for the night. She caught the attention of more than a few boys, and all in all, the night was a success in terms of her social agenda. There was just one thing that was nagging her, and it perhaps had something to do with the falling out that she had with Seth Cohen. Somehow, despite all the apparent roadblocks along the way, everything had in fact worked out perfectly in the end. Seth had successfully won Summer's attention, and Blair had proven herself to be the ultimate schemer. She just didn't understand why Seth was so upset, and why, preposterously, it made _her_ so darn upset too. She laughed to herself all the way home, as the tears continued to stream down her face.


	6. Chapter 6a - The Confession

**A/N: A two-part chapter, since it's a rather long one. Couldn't resist writing a dair-centric chapter to honor my OTP of OTPs. Maybe some time in the future they can have a fling. lol :) MAJOR reference from Season 2 Dair scene. Stay tuned and if you're lucky, I may just be able to release part 2 tonight! **

"Ryan, do you think I'm self-absorbed?" complained Seth. It was Saturday morning, the day after one of the best nights of his life, but for some reason, Seth was feeling groggy and moody. It probably had something to do with the one too many glasses of spiked punch he had at the dance to provide himself with liquid courage, but he had a sneaking suspicion that Blair's comments were also a plausible culprit. Not that her comments made any sense. _Me? Self-absorbed? _Seth thought. _Talk about the pot calling the kettle black._ Still, he would appreciate some confirmation from – well, his only friend at this point, considering Blair wasn't speaking to him after their falling out last night.

"Are you seriously asking me this, Seth? Because that would require you actually listening to me when I talk," Ryan answered with his infamous poker face.

"What do you mean, Ryan? Come on, I'm a caring friend," Seth cajoled. "Tell me your troubles, Ryan. I'm all ears. Oh wait – but first, tell me. Did Marissa say anything to you about Summer after our epic dance together last night? Hmmmm? Because I have a feeling that I _completely_ swept her off her feet," Seth exclaimed, looking smug.

"Oh, not self-absorbed at all," Ryan muttered under his breath.

"Hmmm?"

"Nothing. And the answer is nothing. Marissa didn't say anything. You want to know? Ask her yourself." He handed Seth his phone.

"Uh. Nope. I've learned enough from Blair Waldorf's playbook that calling a girl after a first date – dance, whatever, screams desperation and is the number one faux-pas for boys – men – waiting to score a second date," Seth replied, hands up in the air.

"Oh, so you take dating advice from Blair, now. Who, by the way, you blew off after um, I don't know, _one minute_ at the dance after using her to get to Summer," Ryan looked at him knowingly.

"Actually, _Ryan_, _she _was the one who came up with the plan in the first place, so you could hardly say I _used_ her to get to Summer. And second of all, the only reason why she took _me_ was so that she could have a date, so _technically_, _she_ used _me_," Seth said defensively.

"Whatever. Not interested in knowing what's going on between you crazy kids," Ryan aimed the remote at the TV and turned it on, hoping to block Seth out.

"Nothing's going on between me and Blair." Seth reached over and turned off the TV while Ryan glared at him. "_But_, something _might_ be going on between me and _Summer_ if _you_ give Marissa a call and find out for me if Summer said anything," Seth coaxed, passing Ryan the phone with a sly smile on his face.

"No, Seth. I'm not doing that," Ryan replied, once again flashing Seth his signature look. Seth pleaded with Ryan, putting his hands together and doing his best imitation of Blair's doe-eyed expression when she wanted something really badly. Ryan finally sighed and dialed Marissa's number.

* * *

Meanwhile, Blair was already starting her day on the East Coast, having flown in to visit Serena back in Manhattan. She knew it was risky returning to New York so soon after the triangle between her, Nate and Chuck, but she really needed to see her best friend after the horrible the night she had. And since there was no distress that a short flight couldn't solve, she immediately had Dorota make some phone calls to get her on a private jet late last night.

"Serenaaaaa, are you ready yet?" Blair called upstairs. Blair was waiting forever for Serena to get out of the shower so they could start their day.

"Almost!" Serena called down. "Keep yourself company! Read a magazine or something!" Blair rolled her eyes and tapped her foot impatiently. She didn't fly overnight for six hours to wait for Serena van der Woodsen to doll herself up in order to impress Dan Humphrey. Not that she hadn't already expected that she would have to share the day with Lonely Boy from Brooklyn. Those two seemed to be inseparable lately. Just then, the lift at the Van der Woodsen penthouse sounded and Dan Humphrey walked out, flannel shirt and all.

"Blair?" Dan said inquisitively, pausing. "What are you doing here? And where's your headband?"

Blair ignored his last remark. "Relax. I'm not kidnapping your girlfriend. I know you guys have a date planned today. Don't mind me while I tag along," she said to him, feigning a smile.

"Mind? Why would I mind?" Dan replied, widening his eyes in sarcasm. _Sarcasm_, Blair observed as she watched Dan Humphrey sit as far away from Blair as possible while he waited for Serena. _Just like Seth Cohen_, she thought to herself. She continued to study him while he casually leafed through one of Serena's Vogue magazines. _Dark brown eyes, pale complexion, curly hair, socially awkward_ – Blair shivered. The resemblance was uncanny. She smiled ironically to herself as she remembered that it was the reason why she had chosen to speak to Seth on her first day of Harbor. Funny that she could become friends with someone like Seth Cohen while she normally found Dan Humphrey so unbearable.

"So Daniel," Blair asked, trying to strike a polite conversation, "how's Little J doing at Constance without her Queen Bee? Has she successfully taken over the MET steps yet?"

"You mean how's my little sister doing without her archenemy making her life miserable? Great, actually," Dan replied earnestly. Blair seemed a little taken aback, and kept quiet. Dan, being the nice guy that he was, and realizing that she looked a little hurt after his remark, decided to meet her halfway and softened his tone a little. "What about you, Blair? Why are you here? I heard you were having a little trouble adjusting in California."

"You mean Serena told you that I didn't have any friends?" Blair asked defensively. She knew that this conversation wasn't going anywhere, but she just couldn't seem to let her guard down, even though she knew that Dan Humphrey didn't have bad intentions. Dan seemed to read into her thoughts and approached her.

"No, she didn't say that. I meant that you wouldn't be here if nothing was wrong," Dan replied, sitting next to Blair. "So, what happened?"

Blair observed Dan's expression and saw a look of genuine concern register across his face. For some reason, perhaps due to all the time she had been spending with Seth, she felt closer to Humphrey somehow, that she could confide in him in a way that she couldn't even do so with Serena. She sighed heavily before allowing herself to speak.

"There's…a bit of a situation back at home," Blair explained slowly. "This is really stupid, but…I've been spending a lot of time with this guy who's not really my type." Blair paused, watching Dan's reaction.

"Uh-huh…go on."

"Well, the thing is, we're friends, and we talk a lot about a lot of things, and – "

" – aaaand you like him," Dan cut in. Blair looked as if she had been slapped in the face.

"What? No! Where did you get that idea?" Blair spat out, looking flustered.

"Uhhh…from basically everything from that look on your face to the way you're talking about him, to the way you structured your sentence to _imply_ that nothing was going on, even though something clearly _is_?" Dan laughed a little as he answered.

Blair looked away, avoiding eye contact. "Well, something _isn't_ going on, because he's into someone else," Blair said with a pout.

"Well, that's a change of scenery. Blair Waldorf giving up before she gets what she wants?"

"What do you mean?"

"What I mean is, that the Blair Waldorf I know, would not let anything, or any_one_ stand in her way of getting something if she really put her mind to it," Dan answered honestly. "Look Blair, you and I may not be the best of friends, and we may not see eye to eye on a lot of things, but you're Serena's friend, and I _do_ want to see you happy. You obviously have feelings for this guy, whether or not you're willing to admit it to me. But at least you should admit it to him. Put yourself out there for once."

"But what if he laughs at me and says no? What if he just tells me that it will never be me and I find out that it was one-sided all along? Then I'll just look stupid." Blair asked in a small voice, feeling as vulnerable as ever. She couldn't believe she was asking Dan Humphrey of all people such embarrassing questions. Seemed that these types of confessions were turning into a bit of a trend lately for Blair.

Dan shrugged. "He might. He might not. The thing is, you don't know that's true. You have to decide what's most important to you – keeping your pride and getting nothing, or taking a risk and maybe – maybe having everything." His eyes bore into hers and Blair shivered. Since when did Dan Humphrey become so wise and insightful?

"Well, I don't even know whether he is what I want. After everything I've been through with Nate, and then…Chuck," she practically spat out his name as just mentioning him made her feel sick to her stomach, "I just don't know whether I'm ready to jump into another relationship."

"It doesn't hurt to tell him all of this, and just to _talk_ to him, Blair," Dan said gently. He couldn't help but noticed that this Blair Waldorf seemed younger than usual, and more likeable. More – human.

Blair drew in a deep breath, as if trying to calm herself. "Well, I never thought I would say this, but…you're right, Dan. I've just been too weak to confront my own feelings, and I've tried so hard to run away from them that I've run all the way to the other side of the country!" They both laugh as Blair stares at her feet. "But this has to stop. No more running. I ran from Gossip Girl and the people at St. Jude's and Constance after the way I screwed things up with Nate. And I ran from my mom when she was having problems with her marriage with my dad. And now, I am running away in order to avoid confronting what I have – or at least _might_ have – with Seth." She looked him right in the eye. "But I am a Waldorf. And Waldorf women are not cowards. I'm going back to Newport, and I'm going to tell him exactly how I feel." Blair got up quickly and collected her jacket and her mini overnight bag that she had with her for the short trip.

"Wait – aren't you going to wait for Serena?" Dan asked, getting up after her.

"Carpe diem, right?" Blair asked cheerfully. "Tell Serena I said good-bye." She made her way to the door, when Dan interrupted her.

"Hey, mind letting me know what's so special about this guy that made the legendary Blair Waldorf fall for him?" Blair spun around and stood about three feet apart from Dan Humphrey, whom, before today, was qualified as one of her least favorite people on earth. She was ever-so-grateful for his enlightening advice, but wasn't about to give him the satisfaction of knowing that the boy she had feelings for had reminded her of…well, _him_. She supposed she had always known in the bottom of her heart that she was looking for the kind of love that Dan Humphrey provided Serena with – a pure, simple love. And she _was_ going to get it.

"Don't worry about it, Humphrey. Take care of my best friend, will you?" With that, she turned and walked straight out the door, making a few calls to arrange the first flight out of New York. Because when Blair Waldorf set her mind to something, not even flying across three time zones could get in the way.


	7. Chapter 6b - The Clash

**A/N: This is my longest chapter yet, and actually considered the second part of a chapter. I did this since I wanted to keep the timeline consistent, with each chapter representing each week, as it usually is for both the O.C. and GG. I've tried to incorporate many classic Dair and even Seth Cohen lines, with some paraphrasing and change of circumstances, into the story overall, so I hope some diehard fans can catch them and will appreciate the little shoutouts :)**

**All in all, thanks for the continued support so far, and those of you who've left reviews. Get ready for a little angst between Blair and Seth in the upcoming chapters!**

**Added A/N: I know it's been two days since I've updated, but school's started for me again, and it's going to be quite hard for me to update as regularly. Thanks to whoever Rf is, for reviewing so often though, cuz it really keeps me going! :))) I promise I will update tomorrow, and I appreciate all the follows and favs so far. Hope I can give you guys a really good one tomorrow to make up for it!  
**

Seth wrung his hands nervously, unable to concentrate on the screen. He was watching The Goonies for the 97th time in order to take his mind of things – in particular, to take his mind off of Summer, and perhaps, a little bit of Blair Waldorf as well. He wasn't sure why whenever he started to feel excited about the progress he had made with Summer, a mental picture of Blair looking hurt and disappointed last night flashed into his mind, preventing him from basking in the joy of finally getting Summer Roberts to dance with him. It was all Ryan's fault. He wasn't using Blair. At most, they used each other, and who could be put to blame for that? He frowned as he rewound the DVD again, realizing that he had missed all of his favorite parts of the movie, his time lost in thinking about the two brunettes.

Suddenly, Seth heard a loud knock on his bedroom door, and his dad's voice talking to him.

"Seth? Can you hear me? I said someone's here for you," Sandy Cohen's voice broke through Seth's jumbled thoughts.

"Blair?" Seth asked involuntarily, getting up to see. But it wasn't Blair. Of course it wasn't. Blair hadn't spoken to him since last night. It was Summer. Seth did a double-take. Summer raised an eyebrow at his mistake, and turned to leave.

"No – Summer! Wait! Just wait!" Seth called out, grabbing her arm. Summer flung it away, but proceeded merely to cross her arms, not moving another inch. At this point, Seth's father excused himself, hoping that his son knew what he was doing. Seth was never much good at talking to girls, and he knew that this Summer who was standing in Seth's bedroom door was the girl that Seth had been babbling about since grade school. Seth took Summer's response as a positive indication that she was willing to give him a chance, and he gestured to his bed, inviting her to take a seat. Summer hesitated, but sat down anyway, at last.

"So?" she said finally, arms still out across her chest. Seth was too afraid to open his mouth the entire time, for fear of saying the wrong things.

"Uhh…I believe you came here," he ventured slowly. Summer looked confused for a minute, then shook her head and recovered.

"Yeah. Marissa told me you were asking about me," Summer replied, trying to look disinterested.

"Me?" Seth immediately did a mental victory cheer, but forced himself to calm down, remembering Blair's advice, and acted as detached as possible. "Um…no, Summer. I did not ask about you. It was probably Ryan," he replied slowly.

"Yeah. Marissa told me you asked Ryan to ask _her_ about _me_. So you can cut the crap, Cohen, and get to the point," Summer spat out.

"Uh…okay. Except I don't have a point," Seth answered curtly.

Summer gawked at him. "You mean, you have nothing you want to say to me? Nothing you want to ask me about…anything at all?"

Seth shook his head casually. "Nope. Nothing at all. Is there anything _you_ would like to say to me, Summer?" Seth asked tauntingly, with a secret smile of satisfaction. Damn, that Blair Waldorf knew what she was doing.

"What is _up_ with you Cohen? One day you're like, professing your love for me in the school halls and pouring over me at the dance, and the next you act like I'm invisible. What's this little game you're playing?" Summer whined, rising from her seat, unable to keep her cool. She stood there, staring daggers at him.

_Stay focused, Seth. _Seth told himself. _You've got her now_. "Well, you know. You didn't seem to be that interested, so I thought maybe we would be better off as friends. Just hang out. Nothing serious," he said, wrinkling his nose. He was living up this moment to the max. _If only Ryan and Blair could see this_, he thought.

"Oh, screw you, Cohen!" Summer balled up her tiny fists and suddenly marched angrily towards him. Just as Seth was about to grab his pillow for protection against the impending attack, Summer roughly grabbed his face, then kissed him full and hard, on the lips. Seth froze, in shock, unable to respond. After what seemed like an eternity, Summer finally asked, "Well, are you going to just _sit_ there, Cohen?"

Without another word, Seth grabbed Summer by the waist and threw her down on the bed, returning the kiss eagerly. He wasn't quite sure what he was doing, this being his first kiss and all, but Summer didn't look like she was complaining. After a good five minutes, they finally separated from each other and Summer reached up to wipe a string of saliva that had been attached to her mouth. "Ew," she said in a voice barely above a whisper. They both sat back against the bed.

"Soooo," Seth finally joked, "I guess that means you don't want to be friends?"

"Shut up, Cohen," Summer answered, throwing a pillow violently at him. Summer was so abusive, but Seth was enjoying every moment of it. It really did seem like he finally had the upper hand. Summer stayed silent and brushed some hair out of her face.

"Well Summer, I guess if you're free next week we could always hang out or something. Get to know one another," Seth offered, watching her reaction.

"Is this your extremely douchey way of asking me out on a date?" Summer asked in disbelief.

"Are you saying yes?"

Summer finally looked back at him, considering. She chewed her bottom lip for a moment, then got back up from the bed. "Friday. And don't you dare tell anyone about this." She paused, then turned her heel sharply, walking directly out of his room without another glimpse at Seth.

_Wow_, Seth thought, leaning deeper into the headboard of his bed and pumping his fists. Looks like the universe was finally starting to work in favor of Seth Cohen. He smiled to himself, and almost all former thoughts of Blair and their squabble were gone.

Almost a second later, another loud knock sounded on Seth's door. Figuring it must be Summer back for more, Seth dashed to the door, swinging it open and exclaiming with a huge smile on his face, "Summer!"

It was Blair. She looked as beautiful as ever, peeking into his bedroom. Seth was so relieved to see her that he immediately swept her up in a full embrace, picking her up off her feet. When he finally let her go again, Blair looked completely frazzled and out of her element.

"The name's Blair, by the way, and I know you're happy that I'm speaking to you again, but that reaction was a little uncalled for," Blair said lightly, inviting herself into his room. She was a little upset at his mix-up, but was lost in the moment, observing her surroundings. She stopped at his bedside table, and picked up a toy horse.

"I'm guessing this is Captain Oats?" Blair asked with a raised eyebrow. _Great_, she thought to herself_, I'm about to spill my feelings to a seven year-old. _This is going to work out well. She took a deep breath to prepare herself for what she was about to say.

"Wait, Blair," Seth interrupted, stepping up to her and taking her by her wrists. "Before you say anything at all, I have something to tell you." He led her to sit on his bed, then got down on his knees in front of her, still holding her hands the entire time.

_Is this it? _Blair thought frantically to herself_. Is this really happening? Had he realized what has been going on between us? Is he going to tell me, right now, how he feels? _She wanted to raise her hands to straighten her hair, but he held her gaze so strongly that she was afraid to move another inch. Seth continued to pause dramatically with a serious look on his face, and Blair swallowed hard, her face turning pink. She wasn't sure whether this was what she really wanted. Everything was happening so fast, and she still needed time to process her feelings. But she couldn't move. Not at all. Blair held her breath as she waited for Seth to start speaking.

"We kissed!" Seth finally said, his face breaking into a silly grin and then falling into her lap out of disbelief and excitement.

"What?" Blair asked, thoroughly confused. "Who kissed? What are you talking about?" Blair's brain didn't seem to be working at its proper speed as she struggled to keep up with what was happening.

"Summer! Me and Summer – Summer and I…we kissed! Well, technically, she kissed _me_, and it was amazing – no, not amazing – it was a 'world-stopped-turning, birds-stopped-chirping' kind of kiss. It was _that_ awesome. It was everything I dreamt it would be and more. And," Seth finally stopped jabbering like a little girl at Christmas and looked deeply into her eyes. "It was all thanks to you, Blair."

Blair's heart sank. She wasn't sure whether to laugh, or cry, or to just rip his head clean off his neck. She stared down at his immature-looking bedsheets that reminded her of just how stupid her so-called feelings for this pathetic Newport loser was. "And why's that," Blair finally managed to ask weakly.

"I did just what you taught me to," Seth explained, getting up to sit beside Blair on the bed. He didn't notice that she had shifted further away from him, and avoided his glance. "I played it cool, and I acted like I didn't care, and the next thing I knew – BAM! She just threw herself on me, quite literally too, I think I actually hit my head against the wall a few times there," he rambled on, rubbing the back of his head a little.

Blair shot up from her seat. _Funny_, Seth thought to himself. He was experiencing a bit of déjà vu. She just stood there, looking at him, not saying a single word. But Seth was too excited to notice what was really going on, and he continued to chatter breathlessly. "And that's not all! You didn't hear the best part! She agreed to go on a date with me! This Friday! You've got to help me figure out where to take her. I'm so in above my head right now," he said, getting up himself. He gestured to his laptop. "Look at me! A second ago I was watching Goonies by myself, and now, I'm taking out the _hottest_ _girl_ in Newport this Friday!"

Blair glanced at his laptop, unable to even fully work out what – or who – the Goonies was. She felt a wave of nausea hitting her, and was ready to make an excuse and make a run for his door. She was interrupted by Seth's elated voice again.

"I know it's still a long shot from us becoming like, a _couple_ couple, considering she pretty much threatened me into keeping all of this a secret, but –"

It was all that Blair could take. It was all she could do to keep her composure in light of Seth's moving sharing, but that was the last straw. She whirled around to face him.

"Are you stupid?" Blair spat at him, still struggling to contain herself.

"Okay, I know that was a little bit out of the playbook, letting her boss me around like that. But I found it kind of hot, you know. The whole underground love thing, keeping it low-key. Very nuanced. Almost like we're two tortured artists, desperately in love and trying to fight the judging looks of our com – OWWWW!" Seth screamed, as Blair reached out and grabbed his curly hair by the fistful. "What are you _doing_?"

"WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU?!" Blair screamed at him, tossing him onto his bed by his hair. Seth was genuinely scared for his life. He didn't know how he got to be so close to two very violent young women, and how they both ended up in his room, at separate times, that night.

"What's wrong with _me_? What's wrong with _you_? You're like a freakin' psychopath! One minute you're all warm and fuzzy and the next you're like Medusa!" Seth whined, rubbing his head, this time much harder to recover from the pain that his roots were suffering. "Look, I'm not your punching bag, and you can't just use me to take out all your anger every time your period comes or something."

Blair stood still and stared at him in disbelief. She was a feminist at heart, and had anyone else said that to her at any other point, she would have given them a piece of her mind and a lesson of a lifetime. But she was in no mood to speak to him at the moment, or ever again, for that matter. She felt her shreds of her dignity escaping her for every second longer that she chose to stay in Seth Cohen's bedroom, waiting for him to notice her. Without a word, she turned to leave.

Seth realized the mistake he had made, and started after her. "Blair, I'm sorry -"

But Blair spun around and held out her hand, taking a step back, refusing to look at him. "Don't – just don't." She turned again and stormed out of his room, then out of his house, leaving the door wide open. Seth wanted to go after her and try to explain, but he was so confused about the fight that he wasn't sure what he would even say if he did go after her. He sat back on his bed, dejected, and combed through Captain Oats' mane. His excitement about the episode with Summer had dissipated and he felt as restless as ever.

Just then, he caught Ryan and his father peeking from the side of the door to see what had happened.

"I can see you, you know," Seth called out, as they both stepped into his room.

"So, I'm guessing that was Blair?" Sandy asked, his thick eyebrows arching.

"Yup. The one and only Blair Waldorf," Ryan replied for Seth, who was still in a daze over the events that had just passed.

"And then before, you and Summer –" Sandy trailed off and looked at Ryan for support.

"Yeah, they're kind of a thing now," Ryan explained.

"We kissed."

"Oh." Ryan and Sandy said in unison.

"So, are you and Blair -" Sandy began to ask.

"What? No!" Seth protested, wrinkling his nose at the thought. Why was everyone asking him that lately?

Sandy shook his head. "This is getting too complicated. I'm going to leave you boys alone. But son," he paused, looking meaningfully at Seth. "Just be careful with those hearts, okay?" He took one more look at Seth, then walked out his room.

Ryan walked up to Seth and sat next to him on the bed. He didn't exactly enjoy pep talks, especially not with Seth, who was prone to go on about his girl drama for hours. But he could tell that Seth needed someone to talk to, after the eventful night that he had just had.

"So, are you gonna try and talk to her?" Ryan finally asked.

"Who, Blair or Summer?"

"Well, it depends. Who's on your mind right now?" Ryan asked matter-of-factly. It seemed rather obvious to him what was going on, though of course Seth would be completely oblivious to the fact that he had feelings for both girls, and now both for him.

"Now that's not a fair question, Ryan. Blair's on my mind, but only because she practically ripped my hair off with that manic attack she just had," Seth remarked, unable to process Ryan's hint.

"Maybe you're thinking about her because you _like_ her, Seth," Ryan pointed out to him. He was sick of this game, and thought that both girls deserved more respect than what Seth was giving them.

"Me? Like _Blair_?" Seth laughed, a little too loudly. "Look, she's pretty, and smart, and I guess some people would find her _mildly_ attractive," Seth added as a dramatic emphasis, "but no. Just – no." Seth shook his head repeatedly, as if literally trying to shake the thought from his head. "Besides, I have _Summer_. You know Summer _Roberts_, the girl I've had my heart set on, ever since I could crawl on my hands and knees? This – even talking about this is ridiculous right now, Ryan."

"So you don't like her. And you don't think she likes you?"

"Blair? I think she wants to kill me right now."

"Ya think maybe, she wants to kill you because she _likes_ you, but then basically had you tell her to her face that you want Summer?" Ryan continued, trying to make it as clear to Seth as he possibly could.

"No, I don't think she likes me, and even if she does, it doesn't matter, because we are just friends," Seth rambled, as if trying to convince himself. He continued to shift restlessly on his bed. "Except now we're not even friends, since we've been fighting like, every single day. Which is ridiculous and just her being completely unreasonable, considering we're _just friends_," he repeated.

"You know, I think she'd be okay if you just talk to her and apologize," Ryan counseled. He was really getting good at this after so much practice talking with Seth.

"I don't _want_ to talk to her. What makes you think I want to talk to her after that fit she just threw? And even if I _did _want to talk to her, it would only be to let her know how much I don't want to talk to her, like – ever," Seth said defensively.

"Do you think maybe all this is just, you know, your way of running away from your feelings?" Ryan suggested, hoping this conversation would be over soon so he could get on with his life.

"Me? Running away? No Ryan, I don't run away. I just kind of curl up in a corner and mope. But that's not what I'm doing right now. You know why? I'll tell you why, it's because I have no feelings for Blair Waldorf. My heart belongs to Summer. My destiny. And I need you to not talk to me about Blair right now, and just to focus on being happy for me, okay?" Seth explained meaningfully, getting slightly annoyed.

"Okay."

Seth felt relieved, albeit unsettled at Ryan's aloof reply. "Okay. Okay…though I have to just say…even if in the off chance that I were maybe, slightly, a little teensy bit interested in pursuing this…thing with Blair, which by the way, I'm not, but just hypothetically speaking – it wouldn't work out anyway, so, I'm confident that I've made the right choice," he finished, crossing his arms in a satisfied manner.

"Why not? You both have periodic delusions of grandeur paired with neurotic self-doubt. Not to mention that you two are completely self-absorbed and narcissistic, aaaand you have matching dimples. Do you need me to go on?" Ryan asked, without a hint of a smile on his face.

Seth made a face at him. "Yeah she's also argumentative, difficult and bossy."

"Yeah, that's your type."

Seth blinked twice rapidly. "Is it? Haven't noticed." He wrinkled his nose at the thought. "Either way, what's done is done. And it is what it is. Me and Summer."

"Yes, you and Summer," Ryan answered, with a false tone of excitement.

"Finally," Seth said, in a tone that matched his.

"Finally." Ryan knew that Seth was just going to continue going about this business in the completely wrong way, and that there was nothing he could say or do that would be able to change his mind. Warped logic was a specialty of Seth's. He just hoped that he didn't have to be there to pick up the pieces after the whole thing blows up in his face.

"Good talk," Seth said, nodding at him.

"Yeah, you too." They both paused for a moment more, then Ryan gestured downstairs, and slipped out of Seth's room to give him some time to think. Seth sat on his bed alone for a moment more, then, drumming his fingers on Captain Oat's body, grabbed his keys and headed out the door, not bothering to let Ryan know where he was going.

He arrived at Blair's house ten minutes later. He had just approached the door when Dorota swung it open, as if she had been expecting him, motioning for him to come inside.

"Ah, Mr. Seth. Ms. Blair not very pleased," Dorota said to him softly, as soon as he walked through the door.

"Uhh…I know. That's kind of what I'm here for," Seth replied, a little afraid of what the protective housekeeper might do to him.

"She's in her room, but I would be careful if I'm you. Ms. Blair not so nice when she's angry," Dorota said, using her hand to mimic the slitting of a throat. Seth gulped and continued cautiously up the stairs. He wasn't looking forward to this confrontation, but he knew that he wouldn't be able to sleep well until they spoke.

Blair could sense his presence without even having to turn around. She was brushing her thick, silky hair by her vanity table and her eyes glistened in the soft light of her room. He felt even more nervous and started to regret coming to see her. "Why are you here?" she asked softly.

"Because I care about you, Blair. You're my friend, and I don't want to see you upset," Seth replied gently. Blair closed her eyes as if wanting to shut out Seth's voice. She was sick of hearing that word over and over again – _friends_. Her eyes opened again. She would not be a coward.

"We were never meant to be friends. You and me – we're different. We belong to two different worlds," she replied firmly, turning around to face him. She thought about standing, but thought that sitting down would give her more support. She willed herself to finish what she was saying. "It just wasn't meant to happen."

Seth paused, looking shocked. "Wait…are you _breaking_ _up_ with me?" Seth finally managed to utter.

"Yeah, I guess if you want to call it that," Blair said simply. There was a long, awkward silence, and the two of them remained as they were in Blair's room, looking at each other. _Don't show your weakness, Blair_, she told herself. _Don't look away_. She feared that he would be able to see through her and know what she was thinking that very moment, but it seemed that the many years she had spent in the Upper East Side had given her the upper hand in concealing her feelings. To both her relief and dismay, Seth finally gave up.

"Are you sure this is what you want?" he asked in a way that was half-dejected, half-threatening.

"Yes," was her simple reply.

"Well, then it was nice not being friends with you," Seth said, a little angrily. He didn't understand why she was acting so erratically, even though he had made such a sincere effort to come all the way to her house just to apologize.

"Let's not do it again sometime," Blair replied right on cue, and just as icily. She wasn't about to give in. Blair Waldorf will not longer settle for second best. Not in Orange County.

"Don't talk to me when you see me at school on Monday," Seth couldn't help but cut in.

"Not a word." She turned her back on him and continued brushing her hair, looking like the Queen Bee that she had spent years rehearsing for. Seth stared at her back for another full minute, and, when he realized that it was a lost cause, let himself out of the house, nodding to Dorota in thanks on the way out.

Seth drove silently, turning off the CD-player on his ride home, which he only did when he had a lot of things on his mind. He did tonight, though no matter how hard he tried, not one of them was about Summer, the love of his life, who had finally agreed to go out with him.


	8. Chapter 7 - The Boyfriend

**A/N: Aaaaand I'm back! Thanks for the patience! **

It was the first day of school after the long weekend, and Seth was nervously drumming his fingers on top of his desk before his drama lesson. He had been dreading this moment all weekend, since it would be his first time seeing Blair again after they had decided not to be friends. Which, was totally ridiculous, in Seth's opinion. But whatever – he had already come to a conclusion a long time ago that all girls were certified insane, and from his own experience, their level of attractiveness and their propensity for insanity seemed to be positively correlated to one another.

Just when he thought that Blair might have purposely skipped the class in order to avoid him, he heard the unmistakable sound of her heels clicking through the hallways and into the classroom. Leave it to Blair Waldorf to be overdressed for every single minute of high school, even when she was already trying to underdress in order to blend in – except she wasn't. Seth realized in horror that she was back to her headband and patterned dress ensemble, with a matching smirk on her bright-red lips. She walked right past Seth as if he were invisible, and, just as Seth was about to confront her about her wrong choice of clothing, proceeded to sit beside none other than Luke Ward, Seth's archenemy at Harbor.

Except maybe it wasn't quite right to refer to Luke as his archenemy, since he probably didn't even know Seth was alive. The more proper analogy to explain their relationship would be that if Seth were the superhero in Harbor, Luke would be the ultimate villain. He represented everything about the OC that Seth hated – Luke was a loud, obnoxious, disgustingly rich, water-polo-playing moron. And of course, being the prince that he was, his favorite pastime was also to bully everyone and anyone who was remotely different from he and his crew. Luke was Marissa's boyfriend before Ryan came into the scene, and ever since, Luke had taken every chance possible to pick on Seth even more so than before. Seth gawked in horror as he watched Blair link her arm around his, smiling sweetly up at him. Luke threw a smug look in Seth's direction, then bent down to whisper something in Blair's ear, which made her giggle like a five year-old.

It was everything Seth could do not to approach them and confront Blair on the spot, but he really wasn't in the mood for a detention, or a black eye, for that matter. Seth gritted his teeth as he watched them, canoodling and cooing at each other, with Blair laughing hysterically like Luke had said something hilarious at a regular 5 second interval, except Luke was pretty much the _least_ funny guy Seth has ever met. When the bell rang, Seth instantly shot out of his seat and did his best ninja imitation, stalking Blair and Luke into the hallways. He obviously wasn't very good at it, considering Blair whipped around and caught him sneaking up behind her locker just moments later.

"Is there anything I can do for you?" Blair snarled brusquely, arms crossed over her chest. It was a side of Blair that Seth had never seen before, except when she was talking to her minions.

"Blair, I know we said that we wouldn't talk, but -" Seth started to explain.

"But-but…" Blair chanted mockingly, raising her voice so that others could hear. "Speak up, Cohen? What did you say? You're so lonely and you have no friends except for your toy horse?" A group of girls snickered loudly nearby, eating up the performance that Blair was giving. "Ooooh," she continued, cooing at him, "and is that reindeer sweater from your grandma? It's very pretty!"

Just as Seth was about to protest and bring up Blair's questionable choice of clothing, a group of girls appeared behind her, each sporting a flashy headband in different colors. _Holy Moses_, Seth thought. It was as if Blair had built herself a meaner, stronger army of Blair Waldorf lookalikes overnight, with their own trademark bitch-glare and matching hair accessories. Leave it to Blair to decide to change the entire school trend instead of fitting in. Seth could feel his knees getting weak.

"Look Blair," Seth attempted, pulling Blair aside. Blair quickly flung his hand away with a disgusted look, but stepped to the side regardless, rolling her eyes in contempt as Seth spoke. He kept his hands to himself as soon as he saw Luke look over with a menacing stare. "Okay. I see where this is going, and I get that you're still angry at me."

"Angry? Why would I be angry?" Blair asked with an innocent expression.

"Uh…okay, fine. Let's say you're _not_ angry. Either way, you cannot tell me you're dating Luke. He's like, the _Galactus_ of Harbor," Seth said, gagging openly as he spoke the words. "Come on, Blair. You want to get to me, fine. Anyone but that guy."

Blair flashed a victorious smile, and Seth felt as if he were looking into the eyes of the devil himself. "Oh? You think being Luke's _girlfriend_ is a move to _get to you_?" she laughed loudly and cruelly, sending shivers down Seth's spine. "And what makes you think that?" Blair looked at him coldly, waiting for his response.

"Well I-I-I…." Seth stammered. He didn't realize he had it in him to be speechless.

"Luke is _perfect_ for me. He's rich, popular, _mature_, and doesn't spend his free time with plastic horses. Try not to make it all about you, okay?" Blair replied curtly. "Now, if you'll excuse me," Blair said, turning her back on him, "my _boyfriend's_ waiting for me to get back to him. You shouldn't be talking to me anyway. I hear desperation is contagious." With that, Blair returned to Luke's side, taking his open hand and disappearing down the halls with him, her minions following close behind.

Seth sighed. This was going to be a long week.

* * *

Summer waited impatiently by her door and glanced at her watch. It was 7:10pm, and Seth was ten minutes late for their first date. Whatever Seth was doing to get under her skin sure was working, considering he's been driving her nuts with his mixed signals. Up until about a week ago, Seth Cohen had been drooling over her and worshipping the ground she walked on. This week, every time she happened to see him during school, she would catch him lurking in the corner, watching Blair Waldorf and Luke Ward's every move as they paraded down the halls, showing off their new romance. It was like a bizarre love rectangle – Summer watching Seth watching Blair, attached to Luke. This was _not_ what Summer had planned. She was usually thinking of ways to _avoid_ Seth Cohen, not ways to get his attention.

At 7:15, Seth finally showed up at Summer's door. Summer face fell in disappointment as soon as she saw him. She had made a special effort to look pretty tonight, looking fresh in a flirty pink dress and 4-inch stilettos, while Seth was still in the same t-shirt and jeans that he had worn to school.

"What the hell, Cohen?" Summer cursed when she saw him.

"_Hello_, Summer," Seth replied, taking it as the standard greeting from Summer Roberts. He hadn't even noticed the effort she had made for the date, and simply waved at her in reply. Truth was, Seth didn't have the slightest idea where he would be taking her tonight, considering he had managed to completely forget about their date until ten minutes ago, when Ryan asked him what he was doing moping around at home and stalking Blair's Facebook account. He couldn't believe he had let this stupid thing with Blair get in the way of what was supposed to be _the_ single best night of his life. He gulped as he prepared for what was next. It wasn't going to be pretty, judging by the dissatisfied look on Summer's face. "So, listen. I know you probably had like, really crazy expectations for tonight, and thought that I would take you out to some fancy restaurant, but I was thinking, hey, you know, you've probably been on enough mediocre dates by now where you'd just sit and pick at your food and pretend to be interested in the conversation…"

"And? Get to the point, Cohen." Seth could literally feel the burn of her glare, and prayed silently to whoever was listening that he would be able to finish his sentence with his body still intact.

"Sooooo, I decided to, you know, try something new with you, and just, you know, _hang_. Whaddya say?" Seth asked, punching her lightly on the arm. The truth was, by the time he had realized that tonight was the night of the big date, all the nice places in town were already fully booked. Friday nights in Newport were notorious for their jam-packed restaurants.

Summer tapped her foot, hands on her hips, unimpressed. "And what did you have in mind?"

"Ummm I was thinking like, _real_ low-key, something casual, say – " Seth paused for a dramatic effect, and also for fear of what may happen once he got the words out. "Eh, the _diner_ maybe."

"WHAT?!" Summer exclaimed, eyes about to pop out of its sockets. "You're taking me to the _diner_ on our first date?" She spun around, ready to walk back into her house.

"No, c'mon Summer! Wait!" Seth caught her arm and pleaded with her. "Look, it won't be what you think. We're gonna have fun, and it won't matter where we are, or what we eat," Seth spun her around to face him. "It'll be just you and me, and I promise if you're not having a good time by the end of tonight, I will never bother you again. It will be a night you'll never forget!" He gave her a puppy-eyed look. "Pleeeease?"

"Argh!" Summer sighed, exasperated. The truth was, she had been looking forward to tonight all week, and truly wanted to give it a go. She gritted her teeth and gave him her most threatening stare. "You'd better spend the whole night making it up to me," she snarled.

Seth smiled in relief, and flung his arm around Summer, guiding her to his car. It looked like he had been let off pretty easy. _Focus, Seth, _he told himself. He couldn't afford to make another mistake, or things would really be over with Summer before they'd even began.

Still, nothing Seth said to himself could have prepared him for what was in store for him at the diner. As soon as he walked in, he spotted Blair and Luke, sitting together in the booth directly in front of the door. Blair was looking bored and picking at her food, until she saw Seth walk in with Summer. Almost immediately, Blair flung herself across the booth to embrace Luke passionately, surprising him. Luke responded right on cue, and pulled Blair closer into his body. Even Summer was unsure about how to respond to the scene in front of them. Finally, Summer decided to make an executive decision and tried to pull Seth out of the diner.

"I think I've lost my appetite. Let's just skip dinner and go to the beach, okay?" Summer offered, feeling as if she deserved the prize for most considerate date of the year. But Seth wouldn't budge. His eyes were still locked onto the pair, who were now whispering in each other's ears and flirting ferociously.

"No, I think I like it here _just_ fine, Summer," Seth responded in a loud and clear voice. He deliberately took a seat at the table right next to their booth, just to spite them. He knew what Blair was trying to do, and he wasn't about to let it get to him. He casually draped an arm around Summer, who had admitted defeat and taken a seat next to Seth, hoping to finally get some food in her stomach.

"Menu, Cohen?" Summer asked, shoving the menu in his face as to cover his sightline to Blair.

Seth turned around purposefully to face Summer, taking her hands in his. "Summer, _baby_, why don't you choose something for the both of us? Anything you want, on me, okay?" He threw Blair a knowing look and nodded at her, trying to catch her attention, but Blair and Luke were too busy with each other to pay him any notice. He finally gave up and turned back to Summer, looking as if he had been left with a bad taste in his mouth.

"Are you finally ready to pay some attention to _me_, Cohen?" Summer asked impatiently. She was ready to get up and leave any minute now.

Seth tried genuinely to focus on Summer and forced himself to sit still and examine the menu, but he couldn't help but notice what was going on in the corner of his eye. He couldn't concentrate on anything else but the two of them, giggling and leaning on each other. Seth pouted in silence while Summer returned to drumming her fingers, bored as ever. He wanted desperately to be able to come up with something original to say to Summer to amuse her and catch Blair's attention, but was too upset to think straight. Finally, the food came, just as Luke and Blair were asking for the check.

Seeing that this may have been his last chance to catch Blair's attention and get a rise out of her, Seth suddenly opened his mouth wide and asked Summer to feed him a spoonful of her soup. "C'mon, Summer. Give me some of that loooove," Seth purred, hoping that Blair was watching.

"You want me to _feed_ you?!" Summer asked in a shrill voice, alarmed. "Ew, what is _wrong _with you?" Seth quickly grabbed her hand regardless, and shoved a spoonful in his mouth. "Mmmm…thanks, babycakes," Seth cooed loudly.

"Babycakes?" Summer asked in disbelief. Seth quickly glanced in Blair's direction, and for a moment, it seemed to have worked. He watched as she shifted uncomfortably in her seat, clearly vexed. After a few seconds of careful observation, however, he realized what was actually making her feel uncomfortable. Luke's hand was slipping lower and lower down her spine, until it had begun making contact with Blair's butt. Seth seethed in anger as he watched the water polo player groping Blair openly while she squirmed in her seat. He stood up suddenly, surprising both Blair and Summer, and marched directly to their table.

"Get your hands off her," Seth declared with all the courage he could muster. He was hoping that Luke did not happen to possess the abilities of a shark, who could smell the fear off of their prey. He tried his best to look brave and stood his ground, waiting for Luke to retreat.

"Or you'll do what," Luke asked, standing up, towering over Seth. Seth gulped. He wasn't really sure what he was getting himself into.

"Walk away, Cohen. I don't need you to defend my honor," Blair added, struggling to keep calm. Truth be told, she wasn't quite sure how to react. On one hand, it excited her to watch Seth become protective of her, but on the other, she was Blair Waldorf, and there was nothing that she needed to be protected _of._ Surely a girl who had dealt so closely with Chuck Bass would be able to handle a Luke Ward or two without some dumb flailing loser trying to play the knight in shining armor. She decided to sit back and enjoy the show.

"Look, Blair. You hate me right now – I get that. And you may think this guy is the one for you," he shot a tentative glance at Luke, who looked ready to pounce on him any minute. "But this isn't the kind of guy you want. You deserve a guy who knows how to respect you, and how to treat you well. Not some douche who's only thinking about when he's gonna get laid," Seth implored, looking directly into Blair's eyes. Blair's heart thumped against her chest as she told herself to keep it cool. The only reply she gave him was an icy stare, refusing to give any indication that she had registered his touching words.

Luke grabbed Seth by his t-shirt, and held up his fist. "You little -" he started, just as he was interrupted by Blair's fingers on his arm.

"He's not worth it," she said to him, gently pulling Luke away. Her eyes lingered on Seth for just a moment more, then returned to Luke. "Come on, let's go."

With that, Luke and Blair walked out of the diner, Luke's eyes all the while never leaving Seth as they both disappeared through the door. Seth sank into the seat where Blair and Luke had been, relieved and exhausted and confused, all at the same time. He caught sight of Summer, who was looking at him with a tremendously sad look on her face, and suddenly remembered why he had come here in the first place.

"Summer!" he exclaimed, shooting up from his seat. "I'm so, _so _sorry, Summer. I don't know what got into me just then. Let's just forget it, okay? Your food must be cold," he said, sitting down across from her and ready to resume their date. "Let me get you a new order, okay?" he asked, waving to the waitstaff to get their attention.

"Yes, we _should_ just forget it," Summer replied, throwing down her napkin. She had given him way too many chances for the night. It had become blatantly clear what _has_ gotten into Seth – and it was Blair Waldorf. She got up from her seat to leave. Seth didn't have the guts to go after her, knowing what a first-class jerk he'd been the entire night.

"Oh – and by the way – you were right," she started, just as she was about to slip out the door. Seth looked up questioningly. "This _was_ a night that I will never, ever forget." Then, she walked off, leaving Seth utterly alone and feeling completely dejected – twice that night. He tried to finish off the rest of his meal, but had completely lost his appetite, wondering whether either of the two girls would ever talk to him again after tonight.


	9. Chapter 8 - The Queen Bee

**A/N: I know, I know. I'm not updating as regularly as I used to. But it's quality, not quantity, and I really hope you enjoy the quality of this chapter, given the amount of angst involved. Love you all! :)**

_Damnit_.

It was 6:40 in the morning, and Blair had been woken up by a text message from Luke.

_Miss u & c u at skool today! _And another one:_ Cant wait 2 smack dat ass._

Blair groaned. It had only been a little over a week since Blair had first agreed to start seeing Luke, and Blair was already dying to kick him to the curb. He always seemed to be calling and messaging at the most inopportune of times – or, all the time, for that matter – and today was just another one of those days. She only had 20 more minutes until her alarm would go off, prompting her to start her day. It was surprising how disgustingly clingy Luke was, considering he was supposed to be some tough jock, but Blair tended to have that kind of effect on boys. She decided not to try to fall back asleep, and sat up from her bed.

All in all, things were going pretty smoothly for Blair in Newport. Ever since she had successfully cut ties with he-who-shall-not-be-named, Blair felt herself slowly returning to her former glory. Blair retrieved her binder from her Bottega tote bag (because God forbid Blair Waldorf use an actual backpack at school!) to leaf through the information of her most eligible minions. Recruitment was always such a headache, and things were tougher now that Blair was building her army from scratch. Her cell phone beeped again.

_Cum 2 pick u up?_

Okay, so Luke was no poet, but Blair had to admit that dating him had its benefits. While he was no Nate Archibald or Chuck Bass, his reputation and status at Harbor was good enough to secure Blair a permanent spot as the new It-girl. Anyone who dared to mock her sense of style before was now dying to be gifted with an Eleanor Waldorf original, and Blair reveled in the attention. She had been afraid after Gossip Girl had aired out her dirty laundry that her reputation would be tarnished forever. She quickly texted Luke (a grammatically correct message) to ask him to wait for her at school. As flattered as she was at the attention, she really couldn't stand his cheesy attempts to get into her pants. The thought led her back to you-know-who's courageous confrontation towards Luke the other night, which had almost gotten him killed. Blair looked at her cell phone thoughtfully and considered giving him a call to ask how he was doing, but almost immediately decided against it. _Don't let it get to you_, Blair told herself. She had promised that she would have no more boy drama until she had a new kingdom to reign over, and she was going to see to it that it happens.

At school, Seth endured one of the worst weeks ever, now that both Summer and Blair were actively ignoring him. It was bad enough that Blair's lookalikes seemed to be popping up in every corner of Harbor and were taking over the school, but Seth was more annoyed at the fact that his attempt to save Blair from the dark side had failed miserably, and had probably ruined his chances with Summer for good. Today, he was sitting down for lunch with Ryan, discussing his doomed love life. Marissa had chosen to side with Summer for the week, and Ryan was left with no other option but to listen to Seth ramble on about his demise.

"Just look at those two," Seth complained with a subdued voice. As usual, Seth had chosen a table that was conveniently close to Blair, just so he could keep an eye on her. "I mean, there must be something wrong with that girl's eyes or something. What could she possibly see in him?"

"Uh…he's rich, built, athletic, popular, plays water polo and is physically attractive?" Ryan suggested in a bored tone. He was really getting sick of Seth's constant lapses of neuroses.

"Do you think he's attractive? Because I don't know…I think he kind of has a weird nose. And his hair has this, unhealthy glow to it, as if there's something unnatural about it," Seth remarked skeptically, examining Luke's features. "Do you think there's something wrong with his shampoo?"

Ryan gave Seth a strange look. "Sooo…let's stop talking about those two. What's going on with you and Summer?" Ryan asked, trying to change the subject.

"Well, Summer and I, we're kind of taking things slow right now. You know, just taking it easy. No biggie," Seth answered, trying to sound as unfazed as possible.

"So it's over?" Ryan guessed without looking up at him.

Seth decided to change the subject. "Forget about me and Summer for a moment. I mean, we're meant to be. We'll work it out. Let's talk about _Bluke_, here. Now that's a serious issue that warrants at least a 2-hour discussion. Would you like to speak first, Ryan?"

"Bluke? What's Bluke?" Ryan asked in a tired voice.

"Bluke. Blair and Luke. C'mon, get with the program!" Seth explained impatiently. "I just have this gut feeling that she's not really happy with him. I mean, look at her! That's not how she smiles after I crack a joke."

"It's not about you, Seth," Ryan pointed out, glancing at Blair, who actually happened to be laughing hysterically alongside with Luke.

"Oh, but I have good reasons to think that it _is_. And I wouldn't want that. No, no. What kind of horrible person would I be if I just sat here and let this poor girl destroy her life just for the sake of getting my attention? That wouldn't be right. And you know what, Ryan?" Seth said suddenly, as if having made up his mind. "I'm not gonna let it happen. I wouldn't be able to sleep at night."

"Seth. Hate to break it to you, man, but you do not want to go there right now," Ryan replied earnestly. He felt that he had the responsibility to dismantle this ticking time bomb.

But Seth was relentless. "Why not? You really don't think that all this is because of me? For getting back at me for going out with Summer?"

"Maybe it is, maybe it's not. But if you ask me, she looks pretty happy right now," Ryan answered. They both looked over at Blair, who was sitting on top of a cafeteria table, waiting for a younger girl to fetch her a cup of chai tea while the rest of her minions huddled around her. He took a deep breath. "Look, Seth. You can talk to her if you want. But just be ready for what happens after, that's all I'm saying."

"What happens after? You mean after she's free from _Darth Vader_? She'll be herself again. And then she can stop wearing those ridiculous headbands and barking orders at everybody," Seth said, curling his upper lip in disgust.

"Yes, and come running back to you, right?" Seth tried to protest, but Ryan cut him off. "Come on, Seth. You know how this works. Do you like Summer or do you like Blair? You can't have them both."

"I've already told you, _Ryan_, there _is_ no me and Blair. Blair is just my friend – or used to be my friend – someone that I care – _used_ to care about. I just don't want to see her get hurt," said Seth unconvincingly, slouching into his seat.

"And I don't want to see_ you_ get hurt – by either Summer or Blair when they rip your head off for messing around with both of them. Make your choice, man." Ryan patted Seth on the back, then left him alone to brood in his thoughts. She watched Blair continue to consult her binder, sifting through her recruits one by one, and wondered whether what Ryan said actually had any truth to it. _Was_ he just being selfish? Could it be that Blair was _happy_ with Luke? He decided to find out for himself tonight, and fix all of this once and for all.

Seth showed up at Blair's door that night, hoping to have a real heart-to-heart talk with her to make her change her mind about Luke. As usual, Dorota came to the door within seconds, as if knowing he would stop by.

"Mr. Seth, how good to see you!" Dorota greeted him warmly, giving him a hug. Seth was taken aback with this sudden display of friendliness, and patted the housekeeper gently on the back.

"Thanks, Dorota! Um, is Blair here?" he asked, hands deep in his pockets. He had a lot on his mind about what he was planning to say.

"Ms. Blair in her room. She managing list of good and mediocre girls at school. I worried she back to old Ms. Blair again," Dorota said, almost apologetically. Seth wondered for a moment what "old Ms. Blair" actually referred to, but tentatively stepped away from Dorota and headed upstairs instead.

When he found her, she was indeed going through her binder of potential recruits, just as Dorota had said. Seth found it rather amusing that someone could spend so much of their energy on finding themselves a suitable group of friends, and stood there for a while, watching her eyebrows furrow in concentration. For a second, he considered retreating and leaving her alone in her world as she was; she looked rather content in her new throne.

Blair was instantly distracted by Seth's shuffling at the door. "Who's there? Dorota?" she asked, sitting upright in her lace nightgown. Seth suddenly realized what she was wearing and blushed a little in spite of himself. Blair noticed him lurking in the shadows, and her voice trembled a little when she spoke. "Cohen? What are you doing here…" She regained her composure, adding, " – again?"

"Blair, I just want to talk. Can we just talk, _please_?" Seth pleaded, stepping into her room.

"What is there to talk about? I thought I made it clear that we were never speak to each other again. That's the _third_ time you've broken our pact now." Blair wondered briefly why her words sounded like they were from a Victorian novel – so dramatic and full of angst. She shook her head. "Please go. I'll have to tell Dorota to be careful of the sort of ruffians she's letting in here nowadays." She turned away from him, waiting for his next move, pretending not to care.

"So you really don't want to hear what I have to say?" Seth asked, stepping closer to her. Blair could feel him stepping into a space that was a little too close for comfort. She commanded herself to keep calm, and stared directly back into his eyes.

"No."

"Do you want to know what happened between me and Summer?" he offered again, stepping closer still.

"No." Blair's voice came out sounding much weaker than she'd intended.

"I don't think things are working out for us," Seth began, sitting down next to her. He contemplated taking her hand, but that didn't work out so well the last time he tried, so he decided against it. He sat so close to her that they were _almost_ touching, but not quite. It was as if an invisible shield with a powerful magnetic force had drawn them closer and closer, but at the same time, keeping them apart.

"Oh yeah?" Blair replied, trying not to care. "And why's that?"

"I think she was…kind of surprised, and upset at how much attention I paid to you…and Luke," Seth answered honestly. Blair's heart skipped a beat. She kept completely still and waited for him to finish. "I was surprised, too." Blair swallowed hard, still remaining quite. They were so close to each other that she could almost smell what he had for dinner. And was that…alcohol? Seth's voice snapped her focus back to the present. "I want you back, Blair."

Blair's heart stopped beating altogether. "What?"

"I want to be friends again. Me and you, Blair. We make such a great team. I know you have all these little worshippers now, but they're not us. You're like a robot when you're with them. You sit there and give orders, and pretend that you enjoy who you are, but you don't. You're miserable." Seth decided to go for it and take her hands after all. "Forget Luke and those girls, okay? You don't need any of that. Can we just be friends again, Blair? Please, just be friends?"

Blair flung away from his grasp, irritated and flustered. She wasn't sure what she was more bothered by: his reoccurring reliance on the term "friends", or his back-handed insult that she was basically soulless when she was herself, as Queen Bee. She was angry most of all, because it had dawned on her that Seth Cohen had no idea who she was and who he had been dealing with this entire time. He still had this vision of her as a lost, vulnerable girl who needed to be picked up and adopted, like an abandoned puppy. The idea made her feel sick to her stomach.

"Has it ever occurred to you that I may_ like _who I am when I'm with them?" Blair asked plainly, stepping away from Seth. "You say you want to be friends, but all I hear is you judging me. You may call them my worshippers, but at least they don't tell me what I should and should not wear." There was a bitterness to her voice.

"Really, Blair? You _like _who you are when you're with them? Well if that's true, you're more shallow than I thought," Seth replied with a whine. "Blair, you're not the type of girl who would date some guy just to be popular. It's not the Blair Waldorf I know."

Blair wanted to close her hands around her ears at the sound of disappointment in Seth's voice. She hated being judged, especially by those who hadn't even taken the time to get to know her. He had no right. "Then maybe you don't _know_ the real Blair Waldorf. This is who I am. I live to be Queen, and I refuse to be ashamed of it. If you really feel so uncomfortable with the way I am, it just goes to show how little you knew about me in the first place, and how right we were to decide not to be friends."

"God, Blair! Why do you have to make things so difficult? Look, whatever I did you make you upset, I'm sorry, okay? What do I have to do to get you back?" Seth was desperate, and things were, as always, not going the way he had pictured it in his head.

"Get me back? What, get me back? You keep coming to find me, defending me against Luke, saying all this crap about wanting to be friends, and about _us_. Do you even hear yourself, Cohen? What _us_? One moment you're all like, Summer this, Summer that, oh I just _have_ to be with Summer, she's the girl of my dreams, blah blah blah! And the next moment, you're _here_ – in my _room_, and – What do you want, Seth? Just – WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?" Blair was screaming now. She hated to be like this, but she couldn't contain her frustration at Seth's indecisiveness. She hated feeling vulnerable, and she had left herself open and defenseless so often when she was with him. _Don't cry, DON'T CRY! _she shouted in her head, but it was no use.

Seth watched Blair, tears flowing down her face now, and observed the hurt that was showing through her eyes. He thought back to the way Summer had looked after he had confronted Luke in front of her at the diner, and finally admitted to himself what Ryan had been telling him all along. He took a step back. "Nothing, Blair. There's nothing I want. I'm sorry I came to disturb you tonight. I'll see you at school tomorrow, okay?" He turned around immediately, afraid to touch, or even look at her for a moment more, for fear that she would collapse in front of him. He couldn't believe what a complete asshole he was. _Worse than Luke_, he told himself. _Worse than Darth Vader himself_. He walked straight out of her room and out of her house, without even saying goodbye to Dorota, and drove home in complete silence, unable to think at all.

Blair watched Seth as he walked out of her room, and waited until he was gone to collapse onto her bed, breaking into heart-wrenching sobs. She cried until her heart hurt, until her head hurt, and cried until she could feel her eyes swelling up, and she was no longer able to breathe. Dorota, hearing the distress of her mistress, quickly ran to her rescue, holding her in her arms while Blair bawled helplessly in her embrace. In all her years of attending after Blair, she had only seen her like this once – when her father had left Blair and her mom to be with a male model. After that incident, she had watched Blair's heart harden into stone, and nothing – not even the breakup with Nate Archibald – had seemed to affect her much since then. Blair cried all the tears she had been holding back since Serena had left, cried for the way Nate had lied to her and humiliated her by giving up his virginity to none other than her very best friend, cried for the way Nate kept her around even though she knew deep inside that he had already given his heart to Serena. She cried, at her own stupidity for letting Chuck Bass catch her at a vulnerable moment, for continuing to make the wrong decisions every moment since then, and at her naivety that she would be able to forget that any of it had ever happened and that she could return to her fairytale with Nate. And she cried now, for her wishful thinking that running away would solve all her problems, that she'd be able to run away from who she actually was – the Blair Waldorf that she herself, despised most of all.

When Blair finally finished crying, Dorota had drawn her a bath and prepared a couple of ice packs and teabags to ease her swollen eyes. Blair glanced at the effort that Dorota had made to restore Blair back to her factory settings, but decided instead that there was something else she wanted to do. She got dressed quickly, throwing on nothing but a coat over her nightgown, gathered her keys, and drove.

Ten minutes later, she arrived at the door of a boy who was totally unaware that she was coming to look for him. She rang his doorbell and waited silently for someone to come to the door. The door opened, and without a word, Blair leapt into the arms of the astonished boy, kissing him hard to silence any words that may have been coming out of his mouth. The boy responded gratefully, relishing Blair's soft lips and tongue, and pulling her with him upstairs. Blair tore off her coat, revealing her sexy nightgown, and parked herself firmly in his bed, waiting for the boy's reaction. The boy did not hesitate for a moment before taking off his shirt and climbing on top of her, kissing her eagerly, from her forehead, to her mouth, then her neck.

Afraid that she would change her mind if he asked, Luke then proceeded to kiss her lower and lower. They disappeared under the covers as Blair gave herself to him. Blair closed her eyes as it happened, trying to erase all the words that Seth had said to her that night, erase all the horrible things that have happened within the past few months. _There was no turning back now_, Blair told herself, as she fell deep into the night.


	10. Chapter 9 - The Girls

**A/N: Thanks for all the positive words and comments for the story so far! As a first-time fanfic writer, it means so much to me each time I get a new fav, follow, or review. I will try my best to update regularly :) The story has been evolving as I write it, and many times I go off my original plan, so even I don't really know what's going to happen next! **

After Seth's last confrontation with Blair at her house, he took special care to keep a certain distance from her at school. They slowly developed their own schedules and patterns, and, like clockwork, lived on as if the other did not exist. Blair continued her relationship with Luke, and it seemed that her decision to have sex with him cemented their connection and had taken it to the next level. Luke no longer found it necessary to hang around Blair all the time and text her at 6:30 in the morning; in fact, the only time Luke did text her recently was for booty calls randomly in the middle of the night:

_Horny. Ur place or mine?_

As much as Blair knew that she should feel insulted at the way she was being treated, she actually found herself feeling relieved for once that she can enjoy the relationship for what it is – no messy emotional drama, no strings-attached – just pure physical attraction. Luke was a helpful distraction from the deeper issues that encased her when she tried to fall asleep at night. Lately, she found herself waking up in cold sweat a lot more often, from dreams where she would be spending time with Nate, and then suddenly realizing that it was actually Chuck instead. No matter how much time she spent with Luke, she couldn't seem to erase that part of her history from her subconscious. As for Seth, Blair tried actively to keep herself as busy as possible in order to prevent the image of the curly-haired spaz from creeping back into her mind every half-hour or so.

The feat didn't last for long though, and met its crucial challenge when Luke suddenly had to miss an entire week of school due a case of pneumonia. With Nate, Blair would have played the part of the "loving girlfriend" and brought him some chicken soup to make him feel better, but to be honest, she was just glad that she could have some time off from him for once. Yet, drama classes suddenly became a whole lot more difficult to get through with the gigantic elephant known as Seth Cohen in the room, and without Luke to distract her from him with his idiotic remarks, like "Why is _simile_ pronounced like 'similee' instead of 'simeel'?" and "Isn't the stage manager supposed to be more powerful than the director, 'cause he's like, the _manager_?" That sort of thing. Blair rolled her eyes to herself.

"Ms. Waldorf? Would you like to volunteer?" Mr. Bieman suddenly asked, waking her from her daydream.

"Hmmm?" Blair replied, unprepared. She hoped he wouldn't ask her to recite any Shakespeare today, since she wasn't in her best condition.

"Allow me to rephrase. Who is the person you _dislike_ the most in this class? Anyone in particular?" the veteran actor/educator asked.

"Oh, that's easy," Blair answered, excited that she would have a chance to act out again after so long. "Seth Cohen. We are _not_ friends." She shot him a look, but to her surprise, caught him motioning vigorously for her to stop, shaking his head violently. Blair was confused.

"Great!" the teacher exclaimed. "Then up you two go! Come on, quickly now!" He ushered the both of them from their seats and made them walk up to the front of the class.

"What on earth is going on?" Blair whispered to Seth ferociously. Blair did not like to be caught off-guard, and the drama teacher was known for going off his rocker from time to time. Seth looked helplessly at her and remained silent. They both turned to Mr. Bieman.

"Well then, since our theme for today is _chemistry_, what better to challenge ourselves to work with chemistry than to work through it with the person we feel _least_ comfortable with in the room?" Mr. Bieman remarked and clapped as if he had just come up with the greatest idea in history. "Aaaaand – cue music!"

To Blair and Seth's mutual horror, one of the students eagerly rushed to the sound system in the room, and the first keys on the piano of a horrifically romantic song began to play through the speakers. The class froze in an awkward silence and barely anyone made a sound as Adele's sultry voice poured out and filled the entire classroom.

_When will I see you again?_

_ You left me no goodbye, not a single word was said_

_ No final kiss, to seal anything_

_ I had no idea of the state we were in_

Without a word, Mr. Bieman nudged the two of them closer together, and took Seth's hand, placing it on Blair's waist. Blair's entire body tightened in response to the contact. They had only been close this way once, when Seth had taken Blair to the dance, right before he had abandoned her for Summer. Blair was filled with dread as she realized that they were expected to dance to this song together, in front of the whole class. She checked for Seth's reaction and saw that he looked equally uncomfortable, and had now turned into an uncomfortable shade of green. Mr. Bieman pressed their heads together until their foreheads touched.

"Whatever you're thinking, don't," Blair whispered, praying for the song to end as soon as possible. She looked down at the floor, and tried to count the number of the tiles, or the chairs, or anything that would distract her from this agonizing moment.

"Eye contact," the drama teacher reminded gently, helping them shift their focus back to each other. There was no escaping this. With a heavy sigh, Blair allowed herself to look into Seth's eyes, and the feelings that she had banished from herself came flooding back. The lyrics and the songstress's emotional voice didn't help things, either.

_When was the last time you thought of me_

_ Or have you completely erased me_

_ From your memory?_

"No," Seth suddenly replied softly into Blair's ear, prompting Blair to stop moving suddenly. Had she heard wrong? What did he say? The teacher noticed that their pace was slowing, and nudged them to continue.

Blair followed the steps, and swayed along with Seth, feeling the warmth of his body against hers. He smelt like fresh laundry and candy canes – just like a seven year-old should smell. Without realizing what she was doing, she burrowed her head deeper into his shoulders, and leaned into him, finally allowing herself to relax. As the final chords of the song drew to an end, Blair tore herself away from Seth slowly, looking into his eyes one last time. He looked back at her, longingly, as if there were a thousand words he wanted to express but couldn't.

"Bravo," Mr. Bieman remarked silently, while the rest of the class erupted into applause. Blair continued to watch Seth as he looked down at his feet and held one hand up in the air in response to the attention, shuffling back to his seat.

_I will not let that weasel get into my head. I will NOT let that weasel get into my head, _Blair repeated over and over in her head as she sped out of the classroom. It had taken her so long to build up her immunity from his persistent inconsistencies, and she was not about to let herself relapse just because of some stupid drama lesson and sappy love song. She slammed into the door of the girls' washroom, sending a couple of ninth-graders scattering in fear, and stared at her own reflection in the mirror. _Easy there, Waldorf, _she told herself. Not a coward. Not to be controlled by some boy. _Just a boy, _she repeated in her head.

Just as she was about to walk away from the mirror, Blair heard two familiar voices coming from one of the stalls.

"Oh my God! Coop! What are you going to do?"

"I don't know! Keep your voice down, okay?"

"You've got to tell Ryan."

"He's going to freak out! What am I going to tell him? Forget it, let's just go, okay?"

Just as Blair was inching closer to the stall in curiosity, both Marissa Cooper and Summer Roberts stumbled out simultaneously, a paper bag in Summer's hand. They both froze as soon as they saw Blair, who was standing in front of the stall with her arms crossed, a smug smirk on her face.

"What did you just hear?" Summer demanded, growing slightly pale.

"Oh, just about everything you didn't want me to hear," Blair replied, turning around to face the mirror and reapplying her lipstick.

Marissa rushed forward. "Please, Blair. I know we're not exactly friends or anything, but can you please not tell Seth? I'm begging you here," she pleaded, tears streaming down her face. The normally composed blonde was clearly shaken.

Blair's heart softened with a slight sense of pity at her desperation. She knew what it was like to be trapped in a stupid mistake – one that threatened to change a girl's entire life. In fact, not too long ago, Blair had dealt with the very same scare herself. Suddenly, the washroom door opened and a sophomore walked in, interrupting the triangle. Marissa literally jumped at the interruption and Summer scrambled to hide the bag behind her back. Blair decided that she would take action.

"Excuse me," she said, stepping up to the girl, "but this washroom is under construction at the moment. Please use another one." She flashed the girl her trademark smile, waiting for her to retreat. But the girl was defiant.

"Uh, why are you three in here, then?" she asked skeptically.

"Because we _can_. Now, SHOO!" she replied, pushing the girl violently out the door, then locking it. Marissa and Summer watched at the sidelines, impressed at Blair's quick thinking. Blair returned moments later, dusting her hands off in satisfaction.

"Thanks for that," Marissa murmured, still unsure of Blair's agenda.

Summer grabbed hold of Marissa's arm and ushered her towards the door. "C'mon Coop, let's just go and figure this out somewhere else," she half-whispered, watching Blair's triumphant expression uneasily. Blair stepped aside to let them through the door.

"And what do you plan to tell Ryan?" she asked casually, knowing the effect the question would have on Marissa. Marissa stopped dead in her tracks, and even Summer stayed silent.

"I...we haven't decided yet," Marissa admitted finally, turning around. She wasn't ready to walk out the washroom and face reality after all. "Got any good ideas?"

"In fact, I do," Blair retorted lightly. She stood up straighter, excited that she was making herself useful, even if it involved helping Seth Cohen's friends. "First things first – how late are you?"

Marissa shared a glance with Summer. "A week…two weeks," she replied meekly.

"And this is the first test, I presume?" Blair asked promptly, as if going through a mental checklist.

"Yeah, the first. Sum brought it here for me first thing this morning."

Blair had a thoughtful look on her face. She held out her hand. "Mind if I take a look at it?" she asked.

Marissa shrugged and handed it over. She looked away, filled with dread about what would happen if Ryan were to find out. Summer patted her shoulder reassuringly, worried for her friend.

Blair examined the test in the bag, pick it up carefully with a tissue while making a face. "Normally I wouldn't do this for fear of contracting a disease or two, but you look like you need an expert right now. Let's see…hmmm…" Blair looked more closely at the test and nodded to herself. "If anything, it looks like an extremely light positive. You also used the most unreliable brand possible. Where did you get this, the dollar store?" she asked Summer with a frown. Summer opened her mouth in defense, but Blair interrupted her. "Either way, I don't think this gives you a clear answer whether or not you're actually, _you know_, pregnant, so just take a deep breath."

Marissa seemed to have calmed down a little, but she still had many unresolved questions in her mind. "But what if it _is_ right? What if I _am_ pregnant, and then I'd have to tell Ryan, and he's going to be so _mad_ at me. And oh _God, _Sum! What am I going to do?" she sobbed openly now, her head buried in Summer's sweater.

"Well there's no use crying about it now," Blair said pointedly. "Besides, if he's the type to get mad at you over a mistake that both of you made together, he's not worth the tears anyway." Blair smiled at the wisdom of her own words. Maybe she should take her own advice once in a while.

Summer glanced at Blair, beginning to see her in a new light. "Blair's right, Coop. If Ryan's the guy you think he is, he won't be mad at you for this. You two will get through this together, and we'll all think of something," she reassured Marissa, making eye contact with Blair. She gave Blair a small smile, and Blair smiled back. It was the first time Summer had referred to her by her actual name, and this portrayal of loyalty to her best friend even impressed Blair a little.

"Well, don't go running out and making plans for a baby shower yet," Blair interjected sarcastically. She was not one for warm fuzzy girl talks, and besides, there was still a mission to be carried out – and those she _did_ like. "Summer, you go and run to the drug store and get Marissa another test. It needs to be a Clearblue digital, the ones that predict even before you miss your period," Blair continued like a drill sergeant. She turned to Marissa. "Marissa, try to wait as long as possible before taking another test. Usually they're accurate as soon as you miss your period, but get more accurate the longer you wait. Do you think you can wait until tonight?" Marissa nodded slowly, wiping away her tears. "Good, then Summer and I will come over later tonight and we can all look at it together, okay?"

"We can watch The Valley together to keep you distracted until after dinner," Summer suggested. Blair rolled her eyes, but didn't protest. "So, can we get out of here now? This place smells," Summer whined, covering her nose.

Blair wrinkled her nose, as if noticing the smell herself for the first time. She motioned at the door, and the three girls slid out into the hallways. As soon as they made it out, however, they came face-to-face with none other than Ryan and Seth, who gawked at the three of them in confusion.

"Summer. Marissa. _Blair_." Seth nodded at each of them, unsure of what to make of the trio in front of him. "A most unusual grouping. Uh, what were you three doing in the washroom together?" Seth implored, looking questioningly at Summer, then at Blair.

Summer stepped up in front both Blair and Marissa defensively. "Nothing, Cohen. It's just girl stuff. None of your business. Go away!" she hissed.

"I cannot think of a single topic that you three can talk about together. Except unless you were talking about me, of course," Seth joked. Both Blair and Summer immediately scowled at him, and Summer jabbed him sharply in the ribs. "Ow!" Seth screamed. He was just recovering when he noticed the brown bag in Summer's hand. "Hey, what's that?" he asked in curiosity, snatching it swiftly from her grasp.

Summer launched for it immediately but it was no use. "GIVE IT BACK TO ME, COHEN!" she screamed frantically at him. But it was no use. Summer's tiny physique was no match for Seth. He opened the bag eagerly and peeked inside. As soon as he saw the contents of the bag, the smile disappeared from his face, and he slowly gave the bag back to Summer. Summer instantly grabbed it from his hand and stuffed it into her purse. "What is wrong with you, you jerk?" Summer cursed, punching him hard.

"Ow! I'm sorry," Seth replied sincerely. He looked at the three of them in renewed concern. "But, why do you girls have a _positive_ pregnancy test?" he asked, his voice dropping into a whisper. The five of them looked awkwardly at each other, no one being quite sure what to say.

Blair stepped forward boldly, holding out her hand. "Summer, it's okay. Give it back to me," she commanded, swiftly taking the test that Summer had retrieved and stuffing it into her own purse. "Both of you can relax. The test is mine, Cohen," she said, looking him right in the eye without any hesitation. "Luke and I…we did it, and I think I may be pregnant. You two _can_ keep a secret, right?" she asked Ryan and Seth convincingly, swallowing hard.

Seth's eyes shifted to the floor. He didn't know why the revelation bothered him so much, especially since things were finally going well with him and Summer. Over the past couple of weeks, Summer had miraculously forgiven him for their disastrous date, seeing that him and Blair were no longer speaking to each other. They had even gone on a few dates since then, though they both actively avoided the topic of Blair Waldorf altogether. Summer seemed to notice his discomfort, and observed him with a pout.

It was Ryan that finally broke through the silence. "Uh, yeah sure Blair. Seth and I won't say anything, right Seth?" Seth stayed silent and looked away.

"Well, we've got some things to take care of, so excuse us," Blair finally said, pulling Marissa away by her wrist. She didn't like what had just happened, but someone had to do something. The poor girl was shaking like a leaf. Good thing Ryan was too distracted by Seth's reaction that he didn't notice Marissa's. The three girls made their way past Ryan and Seth.

"Blair, wait up." It was Seth. He was still looking at the floor, eyes refusing to meet Blair's. Blair turned around and took a shaky breath, waiting to hear what Seth had to say. Summer hung slightly behind, unsure whether to feel furious or just plain disappointed. He walked up to Blair.

"When did it happen?" Seth asked quietly, as if trying to sound cool.

"Why do I owe you an explanation?" Blair replied in the same calm tone. She promised she wouldn't let Seth Cohen get to her anymore. She pulled her chin up, reminding herself to look tough.

"Was it everything you thought it would be?" Seth asked, sounding slightly bitter.

"What, sex with Luke?" Blair asked. She had no idea what he was trying to get to, and why he was sounding so much like some jealous boyfriend.

"No, I mean, sex – at all."

"Oh." It finally dawned on Blair that Seth thought she was a _virgin_. Which should not be so surprising, had she _not_ gone and slept with three guys – and the only three guys of her life – all in a short span of 6 months. She decided to play along with it, and replied vaguely, "Well, you know. It is what it is."

Seth nodded for a whole five minutes for insurance, as if he thought her reply made perfect sense, although he had absolutely no idea what that meant. He wasn't exactly versed when it came to sexual vocabulary, so he thought nodding would be the safest move at this point. Summer continued to watch from afar, not knowing what to make of this conversation.

"Anything else you want to know?" Blair asked lightly. She continued to look straight at him, as if challenging him to be frank with his words.

"I hope it was worth it," was all Seth said, at last meeting her gaze, then walking away. Something died a little inside of Blair, as she saw the hurt in Seth's eyes. It was unreasonable, but she knew that she had hurt him, just the same. She turned around and saw Summer, who had heard the entire exchange. They looked briefly at each other, then without so much as uttering a word, mutually decided that there would be no discussion about it. They walked side by side behind Marissa in absolute silence.

That night, Blair showed up at Marissa's house, ready for any disaster that was about to take place. She had with her all the emergency numbers for the best doctors in town, and also the contacts of some social workers her minions had passed on to her, just in case. She had to be really discrete as to why she suddenly needed all of them, but Blair practically had a degree in creative story-spinning, so the process was relatively easy.

She walked into Marissa's room and saw both Summer and Marissa sitting around a Clearblue pregnancy test, fresh out of the box. They were staring at it intensely and jumped up in surprise when Blair appeared.

"Relax, it's just me," Blair assured, rushing forward. She checked her watch – it was eight-thirty. "Are you ready?" she asked Marissa.

Marissa gave a small nod. She disappeared into her bathroom, while Blair and Summer waited nervously outside. An episode of The Valley was playing on Marissa's TV, on mute. Blair and Summer sat in absolute dead air, and Blair could hear the sound of Marissa's clock ticking.

"Are you alright in there, Coop?" Summer called out.

"Uh-huh. Just give me a sec."

Summer nodded and continued to look around the room, trying to avoid speaking to Blair. Blair did the same, but the deafening silence was driving her insane.

"Do you want to talk about what happened today? With Seth?" Blair asked at last, giving in.

Summer looked over at her. "It was nice, what you did today," she answered casually.

"That's not what I meant, and you know it. Are you and Seth…?" Blair trailed off, waiting for Summer's reaction.

"We are, but we're not. No – not really. I mean, we've been on a couple of dates but, nothing serious," Summer explained, confusing herself in the process.

"Oh."

"And you and Seth?" Summer couldn't help but ask.

"Absolutely nothing. Not even friends," Blair replied quickly. Another long awkward silence. Marissa was taking an eternity in the bathroom.

"He likes you, you know," Summer suddenly said.

Blair did a double-take. "What? You mean _Seth_?" she snorted at the remark. "Give me a break. The guy worships you. He hardly bats an eyelash at anyone else."

Summer was relentless. "Don't tell me you didn't notice the way he looked today when you told him you and Luke had sex. He looked like someone went and shattered his heart into a million pieces," she asserted, making a face. "Look, you don't have to be worried about hurting me or whatever. I mean, I like him and all that, but he's not my _soulmate_ or anything. I mean, _ew_," Summer said, rolling her eyes. She tried to hide her frustration, but Blair saw right through her mask.

"You know what I said to Marissa, about having a guy who's worth it?" Summer nodded slowly. "Well, the same goes for the two of us. We deserve a guy who's man enough to be honest with his own feelings, and responsible for his actions. This whole thing that he's doing with you – and me – it's not okay," Blair told Summer, and also herself.

"Do you like him?" Summer asked Blair, point-blank.

Blair straightened her shoulders. "Yes. Well, I used to. I don't know anymore," Blair admitted, wanting to be honest for once. It felt as if a gigantic load had been lifted off her shoulders. They continued to look at each other, unsure of what to do about this embarrassing mess.

"Okay. Well, since you were so kind as to be honest with me, I'm going to be honest too. I like Seth, a lot. He makes me laugh, and he might be silly sometimes, but I kind of like that he's a dork, and not just into me for sex, you know? So, yes. I like him. And I'm not backing down," she exclaimed as she got to her feet, surprising herself.

Blair also got up, brushing herself off. Blair Waldorf _never_ fought for a boy. If Summer wanted him so badly, she could have him. "Well, you can keep him. I've got Luke, anyway, and anything that _may_ have been going on between Seth and I – it's over now," she assured Summer with a tight smile.

Suddenly, Marissa burst out of her bathroom door, breaking their tension. "It's negative! Nothing! I'm not pregnant! SUMMER! BLAIR!" she yelled, hugging Summer tightly, and then, to Blair's surprise, her as well. "Thank you so much Blair, for what you did today. I don't know how I would have survived today without you!" she almost squealed, holding Blair tight.

Blair didn't know what to say. She wasn't used to body contact with others; she only allowed that degree of intimacy from Serena. But she was glad that Marissa was okay. "Good! Now call Ryan! He must think we're so weird after what happened today!" she told her, waving her off. Marissa giddily ran off to find her cell phone, practically prancing away.

"Thank you," Summer said to Blair, giving her a smile as Marissa walked off. "Not just about Seth. About what you did today for Marissa, and for being honest with me, as well."

"I'm not hugging you," Blair replied with a raised eyebrow. She gave Summer a reluctant smile nonetheless. The girl was alright, save for her bad taste in clothing.

"Ew," Summer responded. Marissa appeared again, waving her cell phone, and mouthing the word _Ryan_. She put the phone to her ear and began to chirp happily to him.

"Well, then I guess my job here is done," Blair said decidedly, heading for the door. Marissa waved at her, and Summer gave a small nod. Blair walked herself out of her house and got into her car, letting out a huge sigh after the bizarre events of today. It almost seemed like a day in the Upper East Side. She hummed cheerfully as she drove herself back home, feeling more relaxed than she had in weeks. She was finally ready to write off the Seth Cohen chapter and wave goodbye to all the drama that was attached to it. Blair pulled into her driveway, confident that she would sleep well tonight.


	11. Chapter 10 - The Dream Team

**A/N: I know you've all been waiting for more interaction between Seth and Blair, but I wanted to make sure the transition was smooth from all the angst, so bear with me while I work out the details :)**

**Hope you like this one and get some laughs from it!**

Blair was impatiently tapping her foot, waiting for Summer to get out of class. It wasn't like they were _tight_ now or anything, but desperate times called for desperate measures, and _this_ was a desperate time. Blair should have known better than to think that the gods would allow life to go smoothly for her for once. The moment things were starting to look up with Seth Cohen no longer on her case, Blair found herself face-to-face by a Category I disaster – the worst kind there was. Now she just needed to wait for Summer so she could put together a task force to dismantle the bomb. As soon as Blair spotted the tiny brunette bouncing out of her classroom, she grabbed her arm and violently yanked her aside.

"Ow! What the heck, Waldorf? You don't want to be at the mercy of one of my rage blackouts," she warned, examining her arm for bruises. Blair rolled her eyes. As if her threats bore any weight against her. But she didn't have time to school Summer Roberts just yet – there were more urgent matters to discuss.

"Look, I need your help with something. Something important – something I need you to keep your mouth shut about," Blair explained, eyes darting from side to side, checking that the coast was clear.

"Don't tell me _you_ think you're pregnant this time! Haven't you guys heard of condoms?" Summer whined dramatically.

"Ew!" Blair shrieked, borrowing Summer's vocabulary in spite of herself. "If I found out I held within me a spawn of that pea-brained scumbag, I swear I'd perform the abortion myself. But that's beside the point – listen to me," Blair started, dropping her voice to an even lower whisper, "I think that he may have – ahem – made…a _sex tape_ of us." Blair's eyes immediately fell to the floor.

"He did _WHAT?!_" Summer practically screamed. Her voice caught the attention of students nearby, and Blair continued pulling her aside, whispering while they walked down the halls to find another spot where they could chat in private.

"Could you keep it down? If I wanted the whole school to know I would have called CNN," she scolded. "Normally I wouldn't have confided in you even if my life depended on it." Blair finally stopped walking, fidgeting again. "But I didn't have a choice. This is not something that I could put my minions on, and I don't think this is something even I can take care of on my own."

Seeing that this was probably the closest Blair would ever come to paying a compliment, Summer decided to just leave it at that. "So how do you want me to help?" she finally asked. "Do you think maybe if I got Marissa to ask him nicely, that he'd just delete it, or give it back or something, if you – you know – want to keep it for your own entertainment?" she asked sarcastically.

"Give me a break. There is no civilized way to handle these kinds of men – take it from me," Blair made a face as the image of Chuck Bass suddenly appeared in her mind. "We need to find the source and destroy it ourselves, so that he has no chance of using it against me when I decide I've had enough of him. And judging by his IQ of negative two-fifty and his impressive vocab bank consisting only of phrases like 'that's rad', and 'let's party, bitches', I'd say it's going to happen sooner rather than later," Blair affirmed, seething. No one messes with Blair Waldorf and hopes to get away unscathed. Luke had better pray that no one else ever lays eyes on whatever it is he had playing on his cell phone this morning. Blair was just getting out of the shower when he saw Luke engrossed on what appeared to be a video of himself, naked, and speaking to the camera.

"Okay, so what's the game plan?" Summer asked, fully engaged.

"I need to find a way to get hold of his cell phone so I can check what's on it. The thing is, the guy literally _showers_ with his cell phone. He guards the thing with his life. I'm going to need a distraction to be able to get it from him," Blair explained. She really hoped that a Newport hick like Summer – and yes, to Blair they _were_ considered hicks – would be able to pull off a full-on Blair Waldorf scheme. "So this is what I'm gonna need you to do…"

* * *

Summer hung back nervously, waiting for the right moment to execute their plan. She wasn't exactly good at lying, and seriously doubted whether Blair's plan would work, but she didn't really have a choice – she _did_ kind of have to thank Blair for staying with Luke, and for not stepping in between her and Seth. As much as Blair wasn't willing to admit it, she could tell that she had feelings for him, and that those feelings were in part sacrificed for Summer's sake.

As soon as she spotted Luke, walking out of the boy's change room, Summer purposely stumbled on him, giving him a generous flash of as much of her cleavage as possible. "Ooops," she squealed sheepishly, bringing the flirt on. She batted her eyelashes ferociously at the athlete, hoping that he would take notice of her. She gently squeezed his biceps. "Ooooooh Luke, what big arms you have! Do you work out?" she exclaimed in an over-exaggerated tone, making him drop his gym bag. With his gym bag on the floor, Summer proceeded to continue dragging Luke aside, showering him with praises and attention the entire time. She casually kicked aside his gym bag towards Blair, who had been hiding behind the lockers, prepared to lunge for the bag. Just as she was about to take action, Luke stepped away from Summer deliberately, both hands up in the air.

"Hey, easy there, sweet cheeks. I know it's hard to resist the Luke-tastic charm, but I've got my Blair-Bear, so back off, okay?" he worked his around Summer to retrieve his gym bag, throwing Summer a strange glance as he walked away.

Blair threw her arms up in the air in frustration, coming out from hiding. "Well, _that_ worked well," she said, rolling her eyes at Summer.

"It wasn't my fault! You just didn't come out fast enough!" Summer insisted, feeling slightly annoyed.

"Right. So it wasn't because you just weren't attractive enough to catch his attention for more than three seconds?" Blair pointed out, trying to come up with another plan as they spoke.

"Yes, no match for _Blair-Bear_ now, am I?" Summer retorted, arms crossed. She swore that this would be the last time she did a favor for the ungrateful brat. She was just about to tell her off when she spotted Seth, lurking by the Geography Room, in the corner of her eye. _Great_, Summer thought, wondering how she would explain what just went on to Seth, who was already approaching them with a frown on his face.

"Well, if it isn't the new best friends of Harbor, spending some quality time together again," Seth greeted them, a thoughtful look on his face. "I'm guessing you haven't yet resolved last week's _situation_, seeing as you're now sending Summer to seduce your baby daddy?" he remarked, directing the question at Blair.

Summer stirred uneasily between them, not liking where this conversation was heading. She knew that Seth had been bothered by the events of last week, but didn't think it was her place to explain to him what really went down.

"_Relax_, Cohen," Blair practically spat the words at him. "I'm not going to sell your _girlfriend_ out to Luke. Just need her for a little task, that's all," she replied, giving him a tight smile and trying to ignore his offensive tone. Both Seth and Summer looked noticeably uncomfortable at Blair's remark. Seth glanced down at Summer while she avoided eye contact with him. "You can go now. Oh and by the way – I'm _not_ pregnant – but thanks for caring. You're dismissed," she said bluntly, turning away from him. The last thing she needed at a time like this was to deal with Seth Cohen's finger-pointing fest yet again.

"That's a pity," Seth replied, not skipping a beat, "since the offspring of Blair Waldorf and that very brilliant boyfriend is yours would have surely made for a fine candidate for Congress, don't you agree, Summer?" Seth held up his hand to receive a high-five from Summer, but she didn't play along. It seemed that every time Seth and Blair were near one another, they could not stop their endless banter. Summer couldn't help but feel left out.

"Actually Seth, Blair never even _thought_ that she was pregnant. It was actually Marissa, so it would be nice if you would just lay off it, okay?" Summer disclosed, visibly annoyed. She figured that it was okay to tell him the truth now that Marissa was fine. The way Seth kept speaking to Blair bothered her, and she didn't know why he always seemed to be making an extra effort to appear like a colossal jerk in front of Blair.

Seth was slightly taken aback by the reveal, and watched Blair with uncertainty, feeling like a total jackass. He clucked his tongue softly, unsure of what to say. It was good news – great news, in fact – and if Summer wasn't standing a few inches from him right now, he would probably have gone and picked Blair right off her feet and swung her around a few times in celebration. But he didn't move an inch. Even Blair stayed silent, for once. "My apologies," Seth mumbled softly, mostly to Summer, but mentally diverting it towards Blair.

"Well, Cohen," Blair said suddenly, her eyes sparkling with mischief, "if you want to make it up to me, there _is _something you can do." Blair's mind was already busy spinning up another scheme, and she had the perfect part for Seth to play. She pulled the two of them closer as she briefed them on her new plans.

* * *

It was lunchtime, and finally time to put Blair's master plan into action. Seth wasn't sure why he was even doing this, considering Blair hadn't even told him what it was she needed out of Luke. But of course, saying no to Blair was an impossible feat, what with her death glares and rib jabs. He sighed, and braced himself for what was coming up. He wished that Ryan were here in his place instead – he was _made_ for this role. Seeing Luke appear with the rest of his water polo buddies, Seth took a deep breath and rushed out at him, charging forward.

"What were you doing this morning with Summer, huh?" Seth wounded back his fist, and punched Luke as hard as he could on his jaw. Right away he knew that it was a mistake. His hand stung and started to swell at the force of the impact. _How on earth does Ryan do this so often?_ Seth wondered. He was instantly thrown from his own thoughts as he caught himself flying across the table, with Luke on top of him, hands tightly grabbing his collar.

"You want a piece of me, Cohen? Huh?" Luke picked Seth up and slammed him down again violently against the cafeteria table. "I should have finished you last time when I had the chance." Seth closed his eyes and lifted his arms to block the punch, praying that it wouldn't hurt _too_ much. Man, Blair Waldorf owed him one. Just as he was about to cry out in pain, he realized that Luke had stopped himself just before hitting him, and that Summer and Blair had thankfully arrived just in time with Ms. Richardson standing beside them. _Nice job, _Seth saw Blair mouth to him, as he let himself collapse on the table in relief.

Blair and Summer slipped silently into Luke's house, using Luke's spare key that he had given her for "emergency purposes" – which of course meant booty calls. For once, she was glad that she had access to it, since it may be the only chance for her to uncover Luke's dirt. Thanks to Seth and Luke's little brawl at lunchtime, Luke was being kept for detention along with Seth, and Blair knew that they would have at least a good hour to go through his computer and search for the video.

"Look, if Luke has a habit of doing this, he'll probably have a backup of the files somewhere on his computer. There's no way he could have taped us using his phone without me knowing – I'm much too careful for that. I'm guessing he has some sort of pervy-creeper webcam set up for his conquests," Blair gagged at the thought. She couldn't believe that she had continued her low streak after letting Chuck Bass get into her pants. She really needed to kick these kinds of bad habits. _New Year's resolution_, she promised herself.

Summer took control of the keyboard as soon as the computer switched on. "Damnit! It's password-protected? Who knew Luke would be smart enough to use a password?" Summer rummaged through the mess on his desk in hopes of finding a note or something with a code written on it. Blair, without breaking a sweat, nudged Summer aside, typing confidently onto the keyboard.

"Smart enough to use a password, but not enough to use a good one," she remarked with a smirk. Summer gawked while she watched Blair typing in the password to Luke's computer – _BlairBear_. They both tried to hold back their snickers but failed, falling into a fit of laughter. Blair then expertly began searching through his files, one by one, hoping to find his database, but to no avail. After almost twenty minutes of searching, Blair was starting to lose hope and decided to launch into Plan C. She texted Seth:

_No luck. Take action. –B_

Seth felt his cell phone vibrate against his coat pocket and checked it. It was Blair. Looks like her plan didn't work out after all. Time to use some of his Cohen charm to get the job done.

"Soooo Luke," Seth crooned, shifting to sit closer to him. "Seeing that it's just us two _boys_ here, I thought maybe, you know, we could catch up a little. Get to know each other. You know, some man-to-man talk," Seth said, tentatively punching him lightly.

"Are you f-king serious?" Luke asked, scowling at him. "Look, I'm pissed off enough that you got me in here. I'm missing water polo practice for this bullshit. Don't touch me, okay?" Luke shook his head in disgust, trying to concentrate on his math homework.

"You know, I'd say we actually have a lot more in common than you'd think. First Blair and now Summer – maybe it's written in the stars. We could be destined to be like, chick-brothers or something," Seth pressed on, desperate for any way at all to get Luke to talk.

"Chick-brothers? What the hell?" Luke was too confused to even be angry anymore.

"Yeah, like you know, we're like, brothers 'cause we share the same interest in girls," Seth clarified, delighted that this was finally going somewhere. "In fact, I've got this thing I do with my girls, when I'm into them. Sometimes I take pictures of them when they're not looking, and I save them down and post them on my blog. It's pretty cool, actually. You should check it out," Seth said with a strange, maniacal laugh. This was some bizarre script that Blair had given him. Seth tried to ask more about what it was he was really trying to find out for her, but Blair became indignant and kept mum.

"Are you some sort of _freak_?" Luke exclaimed, getting up from his seat.

_Crap_, Seth thought. Things were getting out of control. He approached him slowly, trying to calm him down. "Hey, it's nothing, dude. I-I-I was just wondering whether you know, you had some _collections_ of Blair in your phone or whatever, and we could you know, _trade_ or something," Seth offered, shrugging. Within seconds, Luke was on top of him again.

"You STAY AWAY from my Blair-Bear, you _got that_?!" Luke breathed onto him. He obviously was in need of some major anger management sessions, but Seth didn't think this was the most opportune time to bring it up. He froze completely, waiting for Luke's rage to subside. This scheme of Blair's was basically a suicide mission, and Seth wasn't sure how many times he would end up on top of the table before he lost one of his limbs. To his surprise, Luke suddenly broke down into tears, sobbing into Seth's shirt.

"Why? What does she even _see_ in you?" Luke whined, a jelly-like discharge now dripping from his nose and onto Seth's shirt. Seth wanted desperately to push him away in disgust, but feared too much for his life. Besides, this guy was obviously mentally unstable. _Better not test him_, Seth told himself. Luke continued to lament. "I've done so much for her – _so much_! But every time you walk by, or talk to her, she gets this look on her face. I can't help it…I feel like I'm losing her!" he whined, still on top of Seth.

This was getting really uncomfortable. "I don't know what you're talking about, Luke. How about we sit down first, take a deep breath, so we could just, you know, _talk_ about this," Seth suggested. Luke finally relaxed his grip, and Seth slid back into his seat, waiting for Luke to do the same.

"I've been planning this thing for her," Luke confessed, wiping the tears from his eyes. _Bingo_, Seth thought. He leaned closer in interest, hoping that Luke would finally reveal what it was that he had been hiding all along. Luke took out his phone from his pocket, and started to play a video.

"Woah, dude!" Seth exclaimed as soon as he saw the first few seconds, screening his eyes. It was a video with Luke basically naked, speaking into the camera. "Uh – I usually stick with PG-13. You know, nothing too graphic, my parents don't really allow me to get into those kinds of things."

"Just watch," Luke replied sternly, which made Seth cease his rambling. The video continued to play, and Seth could see that it was actually Luke, filming himself, albeit without much clothing, but on different occasions, recording snippets of things that he wanted to say to Blair.

"I love watching you fall asleep. You have this peaceful look on your face, and it's the only time you let your guard down," Luke spoke to the camera. He smiled to himself in the video, and Seth could see, for the first time, how genuinely in love the guy was, with Blair. "Sometimes I want to, you know, get you on film too, but that's kind of creepy, and you would probably kill me if you found out," Luke laughed to himself. "But really, I just don't know how someone so beautiful could have ended up with someone like me."

Seth looked away momentarily from the phone, ashamed for the ways he had judged Luke in the past. Sure, the guy was basically an imbecile, but at least he was a passionate one. This was a romantic gesture that Seth wouldn't have been able to come up with in a million years, and Blair was lucky to have a guy put this much thought into making her smile, considering all he's been doing since he's met her was make her cry. He turned back to the screen at the sound of Luke's completely off-pitch singing: "So I just wanted to say, _Happy birthday to you, Happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Blair-Bearrrrrr – Happy birthday to you!_" The screen went blank.

Seth was speechless. He wasn't sure what to say next, and Luke was still staring intently into the blank screen, lost in thought. Seth finally cleared his throat, and tried to keep a straight face as he spoke to Luke. "Um actually, Blair's birthday passed back in November, so you've got a few months."

"What?" Luke's face went pale as he looked up at Seth, then buried his face deep into his palms. "God, I'm so stupid! See what I mean? I can't even plan a proper surprise for her without completely screwing up!" He punched the table violently, making Seth jump in response.

"Listen, it's cool, okay? I'm sure Blair would like the surprise, and you know, she'll think it's sweet, no matter what time of the year it is. I think it's sweet," Seth coaxed, hoping Luke could control his mood swings a tad bit better. Seth reached into his pocket to text Blair cautiously, without attracting Luke's attention:

_I think we're good. I'm handling it. Meet me at the school._

* * *

By the time Blair got to the school, Seth and Luke were out of detention, and Seth hung out quietly behind them while Luke and Blair talked. He watched Blair's shocked expression as Luke pulled out his cell phone and presented his semi-pornographic video. She stood still for a while, then smiled, reaching out to hug Luke and giving him a soft kiss on the cheek. Seth kicked the dirt a little, not really wanting to face what he had just witnessed. He briefly wondered whether he should have kept the video a secret, but then decided that he wanted truly, to see Blair happy. And – she did look happy. Seth watched as Luke gave Blair a final kiss on the forehead, then headed towards his car. To Seth's surprise, he even turned and gave a wave to Seth, who nodded back in response. Guess he wasn't that bad of a guy after all. He slowly approached Blair, who had turned her head slightly, watching Luke get into his car.

"Sooo…I'd say that was an interesting turn of events, wouldn't you," Seth remarked to Blair, watching Luke drive off.

Blair snorted. "Yeah, who would have thought you and Luke would end up friends?"

"Who would have thought Luke would end up as a certified Prince Charming?" Seth answered, feeling rather dejected.

"Yeah well," Blair replied softly. There wasn't really much to say in response to that. To be honest, Blair was a bit touched at Luke's surprise, regardless of how idiotic the whole thing was. She suddenly burst out laughing. "He thought it was my birthday," she stuttered, her face red from laughter. Seth laughed along in spite of himself, and the two of them took deep breaths to calm themselves down. "We make a good team, Cohen," Blair added in a tender voice.

Seth cleared his throat. "Blair, there was something that I wanted to talk to you about," he said, suddenly growing serious and looking her in the eye.

Blair looked up at him, her eyes glistening in the fading sunlight. As usual, she felt the familiar shortness of breath that she always felt whenever Seth draw near. She maintained a smile as neutral as possible as she waited for him to continue.

"You were right. I judged you before, without really knowing you, just like how I judged Luke. You've been a good friend to Summer and Marissa, and it was wrong of me to make assumptions about you. It was wrong, and I want to get to know you – again. Let's start over." He held out his hand boldly. "Hello, I'm Seth Cohen. I like skateboarding, emo indie music, and I'm the president of the Comic Book club."

Blair hesitated. She felt his sincerity, and rolled her eyes at his completely ridiculous self-introduction. She took a deep breath and shook his hand slowly. "I'm Blair Waldorf. I like impressionist art, French documentaries, and aspire for world domination."

Seth chuckled and gave her hand a squeeze, feeling its warmth. "Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you."

They stood that way for a while, holding hands, staring into each others' eyes. In that instant, Blair knew that what she had felt for him in those few weeks was definitely not one-sided. Of course, things were beyond complicated at this point – he had Summer, she had Luke, and her and Summer had just managed to become friends, and even Seth and Luke were on speaking terms. She knew they could not risk jeopardizing all that. Or could they? She waited for Seth to make his move, to finally say something and fight for her – something that she had desperately wanted him to do all this time.

Finally, Seth gently let of Blair's hand. He knew exactly what he had to do. "Blair, there's something that I've gotta take care of right now. I'll see you around, okay? Say what's up to Luke for me, will you?" With that, he turned away from her, leaving her feeling confused and empty, as she always did after an interaction with Seth Cohen.

* * *

Seth showed up on the doorsteps of Summer's house minutes later. He had drove there directly after meeting with Blair, unwilling to take any time off to think about what he was about to do, in fear of second-guessing himself. He rang her doorbell, and when Summer showed up, almost lost the courage to present what he had prepared for her.

"Cohen?" Summer asked, stepping out of her house and closing the door behind her. "What are you doing here?"

"There's something I have to be honest with you about," Seth admitted. He closed his eyes for a moment to clear his thoughts, then opened them again. "I don't think I can see you anymore."


	12. Chapter 11a - The Act

**A/N: I've decided to split this chapter into two, since it's a such a huge one this time. Many Dair parallels here - hope you guys can find them and will appreciate them! :)**

**Also, I really wanted to thank all those that are consistently giving me reviews. They make my days brighter and make it easier for me to continue writing, even on days where i'm exhausted. Thanks again for all the support! **

"Do you think maybe we should just, you know, take a day off? Catch a movie? Hit the beach or something?" Seth asked as they got out of the car and got ready to walk into the school. It was Monday, the first day of school after he had told Summer that he just wanted to stay friends with her. Throughout the weekend, he had played the moment over and over again repeatedly in his head, each time assuring himself that he had made the right decision. Summer had been silent, as if thinking quietly about what he had said, and, without a word, had turned and walked back into her house. Unsure what to do, he sat there for another hour after that, and did not leave until he could hear dogs howling in the distance. He sure wasn't looking forward to bumping into her at school today, only to have her inevitably punk him off.

Ryan gave him a blank stare. "It's not gonna help if you run away, Seth," he pointed out matter-of-factly.

"And I'm not running away. I just, you know, wanna do something fun today. Do something daring, something _risky_. Come on, Ryan! YOLO!" Seth almost pleaded with Ryan, who didn't budge. Just then, they saw Summer and Blair, walking together, and heading straight towards them. "Oh my _God_ Ryan. Okay, quick. Hide me. Or better yet, I'll wait for you in the car," he said quickly, preparing to make a dash towards the parking lot.

Ryan grabbed his arm, preventing his getaway. "You want to do something daring and risky? Stay here and face these two," he whispered fiercely to Seth. Seth had no choice but to plaster a smile across his face and the girls approached them.

"Heeeeyyyyy Blair! _Summer_! What a pleasant surprise!" Seth yelled out, a little too energetically.

Blair gave him a weird look. "We go to school together. Why would you be surprised?" she asked, rolling her eyes at him as usual. Seth stood there and nodded, trying his best to avoid eye contact with Summer. He wished desperately that he could just hide behind Ryan and take cover for a while until Summer walked away.

_This situation could not possibly get any more awkward_, Seth thought. Except maybe if Luke also walked in singing Happy Birthday without his shirt. He wrinkled his forehead at the thought.

"Um, hellooo – earth to Cohen?" he saw Summer waving her hand in front of head, snapping him back to attention. Seth was surprised at how absolutely _normal_ she looked – as if nothing had happened at all. He became even more concerned than he was before he saw her. Unsure of what to make of her cheery mood, Seth pulled her to the side, away from Blair.

"Summer, are you okay? I mean, I know…you know, what I said to you last Friday, I know…" Seth babbled on endlessly, unable to make his point.

To his astonishment and genuine fear, Summer started to laugh – a loud, throaty laugh that made even Ryan and Blair glance over. "You think I'm _sad_? Gosh, Cohen!" she slapped him hard on the arm while she cackled.

"Ow! Summer, could you maybe, be careful with your superhuman strength?" Seth complained, running his sore arm. He was really getting concerned about her apparent display of mental instability.

"Cohen, I'm not mad! I'm relieved! To be honest, you've put me through so much drama the last few weeks and made me so confused that I was hoping we could just go back to being…non-friends, like we were. This – me and you – let's face it. Wasn't really working out," Summer chided, nodding knowingly. Seth observed her carefully, paying attention to every last detail, from the lines on her forehead, to the way she positioned her feet. She didn't _seem_ like she was in denial. Even though that realization hurt his ego a little.

"So, you're not pissed at I broke up with you?" Seth pressed on, still a little doubtful.

"Well, considering we were never _actually_ together, let's just say I'm not upset that you decided we shouldn't take things further," Summer replied, earnestly. She glanced over a little at Blair, who was trying to make small talk with Ryan, looking bored. "Besides," she added, "it's not as if I don't understand why. I get it. You like her. And, well – believe it or not – I kinda do too. So don't mess it up!" Summer slapped him hard again, on the very same spot.

"Ow! Okay! Can you try to make your point in a less violent manner, next time? You're gonna leave a bruise!" Seth whined.

"It's your fault you have chicken arms!" Summer laughed as she teased, continuing to hit him on various parts of his body.

Blair, finally running out of ways to keep Ryan engaged in conversation, couldn't help but glance over at Summer and Seth, who were now laughing loudly in the parking lot. Seth had a sweet smile on his face, which showed off his deep dimple, and Summer had her hands on her waist, also looking quite happy. "They make a cute couple," Blair remarked, sincerely feeling happy for the two of them.

"Uh – Blair," Ryan started, but just as he was about to explain to Blair what had happened between them, Seth and Summer were already heading back in their direction. Blair flashed her teeth and widened her eyes, trying to look pleased as Summer rejoined her side.

"Walk you to class?" Summer offered, taking Blair's arm.

Blair nodded sharply. "Why not?" she replied. They walked off together, arm in arm, noses high up in the air, while Seth watched the two of them from behind.

"Close call," Ryan said, giving Seth a look. Seth sighed heavily as he watched Blair turned her back on him, barely bothering to beat an eyelash. He had passed the first level rather easily today with Summer, but something told him the rest of the day wasn't going to be as easy.

Seth hesitated before walking into the classroom, both eager and nervous that he was about to see Blair in their regular drama lessons. He had seen her numerous times in drama class before, but this time was different – this would mark the first time he would do so knowing exactly how he felt about her. He swallowed hard, trying to banish the butterflies that were cramping up his stomach, and suddenly felt the urge to go to the washroom. He was just about to turn away to visit the boys' room when he ran smack into Blair Waldorf.

"Ow! Watch where you're going, Cohen!" Blair exclaimed, examining her elbow. "Where are you rushing to, anyway? Class is about to start!"

Seth took a step back and looked at her – she looked even more radiant and beautiful than she had this morning, when she was with Summer. Her hair was swept into a long ponytail which showed off the fine features of her face, and she opted for a light lip gloss today instead of her usual rigid red lipstick, which brought an innocence to her expression. Their was also something magnetic about her eyes – the way they sparkled and glistened as if there were a million secrets waiting to explode out of them, each of them leaving Seth thoroughly curious and mesmerized. He cleared his throat. Suddenly, his bladder was no longer full, and his need to visit the washroom disappeared completely. He gestured towards the inside of the classroom, as if escorting Blair to her seat.

"Thanks," she replied smartly, throwing a self-satisfied grin towards Seth. He slid down in the empty seat next to her, lost in his own dreamy thoughts, when he suddenly realized that something was missing.

"Where's Luke?" Seth whispered to Blair, looking around the classroom. Try as he might, he wasn't yet able to forget the rather significant obstacle that stood between him and Blair.

Blair smirked and leaned over to reply, which made Seth blush a little. "He dropped the course. Wasn't able to figure out the difference between a chorus and a coral," she informed him, holding back her laughter. How Blair could be dating such a moron, albeit a romantic one, was beyond him.

"Alright class, hurry up and get back to your seats. We have a lot to discuss today," Mr. Bieman called out in an authoritative voice.

To be honest, Seth had thought about dropping drama too, until he realized that Blair was in his class. He was a fan of comics and action movies, but not really a fan of Broadway musicals and the like. Plus, public speaking wasn't exactly his strong suit, considering before Ryan came, every sentence he uttered would be automatically followed by the word "faggot". He drew in sharp breath while he waited for the teacher's announcement.

"After weeks of preparation, we are finally ready to start our very own production," Mr. Bieman declared, while Blair clapped excitedly beside him. "This year, we will be doing a true classic by the lovely Edith Wharton, the –"

"The Age of Innocence!" Blair cut in, struggling to keep her poise. Seth looked over at her curiously. He didn't remember seeing her this excited since the time he was manipulated into taking her to the dance. He smiled at the memory, and how much things have changed since then.

"Didn't know you were a fan of the classics, Waldorf," he couldn't help but remark, amused at her expression, which resembled a child at a candy store.

"Shows how little you actually know about me," Blair remarked lightly. He knew that she had said it harmlessly, but her reply bothered him a little all the same. She was right – he really didn't know her that well, and every squabble he's had with Blair since the day they've met was proof of that. But he was planning to change that.

"First off, I'd like to know whether any of you are familiar with the story," Mr. Bieman asked. "Any takers?"

Eager to impress Blair, Seth's hand went up casually, without realizing what it was he was actually admitting to. He looked around, his heart filling with dread as it came to his knowledge that he was the only boy that had put up his hand. Even Blair raised an eyebrow at him, suppressing her giggles.

"Ah, Mr. Cohen," the teacher said, looking pleasantly surprised, "it's not every day that a gentleman knows how to appreciate these types of literature. Care to give the rest of the class a little summary of what the story is about?"

Seth gaped at him in horror. He struggled to think fast, as he caught Blair looking at him inquisitively. "I believe…well, actually it's quite complicated and the, um, genius of the, uh – masterpiece cannot be summarized in such a short time frame," he managed to spill out.

"Do try," the teacher pressed on, adamant now.

"Well, uh…if I must, I would say that the book is about…_love_," Seth finally replied weakly. He looked over at Blair, certain that he had blown it. She gave him the same raised eyebrow, eye-rolling look that he supposed she had mastered since the age of three.

"Excellent!" Mr. Bieman replied. His reaction shocked both Seth and Blair, who both knew that Seth had absolutely no idea what the book was about. "The Age of Innocence is indeed a masterpiece, exploring the complexities of both love and social class." Blair nodded appreciatively, completely immersed in the lesson and no longer paying any attention to Seth.

"I normally invite the students to read the script first before auditioning, but since we are on such a tight schedule, I have decided to shorten the entire process today, and have you audition on the spot," he explained, passing out a sheet of paper. "I have here an excerpt of the script, since you will only really be acting out a part of it for the actual performance. You have ten minutes to prepare."

Mr. Bieman handed a piece of paper to Seth, and one to Blair, who immediately snatched it up and began going through the lines, a smile crawling upon her lips. It was inspiring for Seth to see Blair so entranced in something, and in spite of himself, he also began to look over the script. It was difficult to see what all the fuss was about, especially from one scene, but Seth could tell that all the lovey-dovey stuff was making Blair swoon. He finished scanning the page and looked up.

"So class, I trust by now that you've all had some time to look over the script," Mr. Bieman remarked. "Now we have a few major roles open – of course, one of them being the irresistible Ellen Olenska, and the other being the charming, successful Newland Archer. May I have some volunteers, please?"

Blair's arm immediately shot up, as she squirmed in her chair. Again, any attempts that where made at containing herself failed as she reached desperately, waiting for the teacher to call on her.

"Alright, Blair," Mr. Bieman finally said, pointing at her, "whom I presume will audition for the role Ellen. Then any takers for the role of Archer?" Mr. Bieman's eyes scanned the room, looking for someone to undertake the attempt.

_This is your chance, man, _Seth told himself. _Confidence, Cohen_, he repeated, remembering Blair's words that had helped him conjure his courage to ask Summer to dance. But this was different – he would be required to stand in front of the class, and act like a _charming, successful_ lawyer. Sure, his dad was a lawyer, but it would take more than that connection to get Seth to pull off the role. The only thing he was successful at was Grand Theft Auto. He hesitated, literally hearing the seconds tick away at the clock while he thought. Then, out of the corner of his eye, he thought he saw someone else's hand go up, which prompted him to immediately shoot up his hand, standing up as he raised it.

"Well, I'm glad that we have such an enthusiastic volunteer!" the teacher remarked. He nudged Seth forward, giving Blair and Seth the stage while he walked to the side. Seth took a deep breath and headed to the front of the class, praying that he knew what he was doing.

He looked at the paper in front of him for a minute, and then, throwing it aside, looked right into Blair's eyes, willing himself to forget for just a moment who he was, and allowing himself to open up to her. He reached out for her hand, while Blair seemed to have stripped off a layer of her habitual protection herself, waiting for his next move. Seth took Blair's hand in his, and kissed it tenderly, making Blair flush ever so slightly. She took a shaky breath and looked up at him.

"You didn't expect me today?" Seth asked in a surprisingly strong voice.

"Oh, no," replied Blair, continuing to blush. The effect worked rather well, considering everyone else would have just assumed that she was deeply immersed in her role.

"Do you know – I hardly remembered you, when I crossed you in the train," Seth-as-Archer asked, speaking now from his heart, feeling every word that was coming out of his mouth.

"Hardly remembered me?" Blair-as-Ellen asked, looking up in query.

"I mean: how shall I explain? I –" Seth took a step closer now, growing braver. He swallowed hard. "Each time you happen to me all over again," he said to her slowly and deliberately.

Blair swayed a little, her hands still in his. He held both her hands now, even though this wasn't specified in the script. She was also pretty sure they weren't supposed to be this close to one another at this point in the story, but she couldn't seem to step away. "I know," she replied quietly, not even noticing that she had slightly fluffed her lines.

"And for you – do you feel the same? About me?" Seth-as-Archer asked, also making up his own lines, now filled with his own self-interest in asking Blair the question.

"Why do you ask?" Blair demanded, completely lost in the moment now. She hadn't even realized the rest of the class was still watching the two intently.

"Because you _must _know," Seth replied, now returning to the actual script, "that this can't last." His eyes melted the very core of her heart.

"What can't?" asked Blair, eyes filling with genuine wonder.

"Our being together – and not together," Seth answered flawlessly. He had meant every single word. He was tired of being friends, or non-friends, with Blair Waldorf. He wanted more. He wanted _her._ Blair kept still, and faltered a little, as if trying to think straight. _Confidence, Cohen!_ he demanded to himself as he put his hand on the small of her back, feeling her warmth, and then, propping her up every so gently, reached in to kiss her. Their lips were just about to touch, when Blair suddenly held up her hands, stopping him, and then turned her face away. She bit her lip, then stepped away from his embrace, leaving Seth feeling thoroughly confused.

The rest of the class applauded politely, though everyone was equally confused at what had just happened in front of their eyes. Even Mr. Bieman clapped hesitantly, watching Blair closely.

"Well, that was most impressive, Mr. Cohen and Miss Waldorf," Mr. Bieman asserted, nodding his head in approval. "Now, any others? And perhaps those who would like to _follow_ the script?"

Seth watched as Blair returned to her seat, visibly disturbed from their intense interaction. She actively avoided his glance, and drummed her fingers nervously on top of her desk, unable to concentrate on the other performances.

_Stupid Seth Cohen,_ Blair thought to herself. Any other day, she would have perfected the role and the lines and everything would be in the bag. She was born to play Ellen Olenska – she had no doubt about that. However, she had once again let Seth Cohen distract her from the things that actually mattered. What was wrong with him anyway? Wasn't he having the time of his life with Summer, _love_ of his life? Blair shook her head in what was a mixture of confusion and frustration.

Seth watched as Blair fidgeted non-stop in her seat. He was worried that he had blown it for Blair, who obviously had really wanted the part. His thoughts were interrupted by Mr. Bieman's voice:

"And of course, the moment you've all been waiting for – Ellen Olenska will be played by Lucy Rivers, while Newland Archer will be played by Horace Penfield! Congratulations!" The class clapped along politely, no one actually caring. "Alright then! It's decided! We will sort out the rest of the roles tomorrow. Now get out of here!" he shouted, his usual farewell to the class.

Seth started towards Blair, hoping they would finally be able to have an honest heart-to-heart after that outward display of affection he had just given. Afterall, she was the one who had taught him that girls were all about the grand gestures. Surely she knew how he feels about her now. But to his surprise, Blair abruptly got up from her seat, throwing him an angry glare, then stomped out of the classroom.

-TBC-


	13. Chapter 11b - The Almost Lovers

**A/N: Some of the interaction was taken from Seth and Summer's interaction after Seth had broken up with Anna. I mixed it up a little with the dialogue from The Age of Innocence, so hope you guys liked that touch! Again, thanks for the ongoing support, and looking forward to hearing what you guys think about this chapter! :)**

"Blair – wait! Just wait up!" Seth called after her, dashing into the halls to stop her. He had no idea what he had done this time to make her so angry – after all, wasn't this what she had wanted? He had finally worked up the courage to admit to her, and himself, how he truly felt. Surely this was an accomplishment.

But Blair wouldn't stop. She blindly made her way down the hallway, running into countless students in the process. _Don't turn around, Blair_, she told herself repeatedly. She felt her face growing hotter and hotter as she continued to shove band geeks and cheerleaders out of her way, refusing to slow down for even a second, lest Seth Cohen catch her before she was able to clear her mind and figure out what to do.

To her dismay, Blair's heels were no match for Seth's skateboard, which he had used to catch up to Blair as soon as they were outside of the school. He cut sharply in front of her, blocking her way.

"Move it, Cohen," Blair threatened, clenching her jaw. "I mean it. I'm not going to have this conversation with you again."

"What conversation?" Seth replied, playing dumb for a little bit. He knew Blair was just trying to avoid him because she was in denial of her own feelings. Things were going exactly the way he had planned.

"The conversation where we talk about our friend slash non-friendship, and where we try to figure out for the millionth time what we're going to do with each other. I thought we've been over this before. What is there to talk about?" Blair answered his question with a steady stream of replies, barely taking a breath. Seeing that Seth was hesitating yet again, Blair grunted in annoyance and continued to walk.

"Wait -" Seth reached out and grabbed Blair's wrist, preventing her from going any further. Blair was noticeably bothered, but stayed where she was regardless. She refused to look at him, so he continued speaking as they were, Blair's back turned against him.

"Don't you wanna know why I auditioned for that role?" Seth asked finally, working up his courage to finally say the words he should have said the moment he met her. He drew closer to her, slowing spinning her around to face him. They stood as they had in the classroom, face to face with one another, as if no one else existed in the world except for the two of them.

Blair looked into his eyes in confusion. She had no idea what to think. With Seth, it was always one step forward, two steps back. She tried to read what was in his eyes, and she saw once again his sincere and pleading expression. Then she remembered – Summer.

"No, Seth. I don't want to know why you auditioned for the role. I have no idea why you do _half_ of the things you do. You stood up for me when you thought Luke was taking advantage of me. Then you judge me for wanting to have my own friends here in Harbor. Then you go and whisper the most ridiculous things in my ear, telling me that you haven't forgotten about me." Tears were welling up in her eyes now and she struggled to continue her labored accusations. Blair clenched and unclenched her fists, unable to stop herself. "Then you judge me for having sex with Luke after you've chosen Summer. And _then_ you apologize and say you want to be friends_. _So now this is us – being friends," she finally finished, gasping for air.

"I – I know, Blair. I know I've been a jackass, and I know I've been stupid, and –" Seth tried to explain, putting his hands on Blair's shoulders.

"Yeah, you know what, you _have_ been a total jackass. And you've been selfish, and indecisive, and possessive – even when you made it clear you didn't _want_ me. And now that I no longer want you, and just when things are going well with Luke, now – NOW you say you want me. Well it's too late for that. You've missed your chance, Cohen," Blair told him abruptly. It hurt – God, it hurt more than anything to say it – but she knew in her heart that it was the right thing to do. She was no Serena van der Woodsen, and she knew firsthand how it feels to be betrayed by a friend. She would not do that to Summer, especially not after the way she had been there for her through the entire debacle with Luke.

"Are you happy with Luke, Blair?" Seth finally asked, running out of ideas as to what he could say to make her change her mind. He had to admit that pretty much everything she had just said was completely true. It had taken him much too long to realize just what he was missing.

"I am," she replied firmly, as if trying to convince herself as well. Her heart was torn between wanting him to fight for her – to tell her no, that he wasn't going to give up – and wanting him to just let her go. She was exhausted from all this back and forth, and exhausted from having to force herself to not have feelings for him one day, only to have them all flooding back the next, when he would decide that he wanted to make nice again.

Seth watched her and waited for her to falter, but she showed no signs of doing so. Instead, she kept her perfect Waldorf poise as usual, blinking back her tears to reveal a crystal clear set of dark brown eyes that showed her fire and determination. In that moment, he knew that he had lost. Blair's pride was worth more to her than anything else, and he knew that it was going to take more than his constant groveling to make her change her mind. And besides – she insisted that she was happy with Luke. Although he had finally ended things with Summer so he could force himself to make a decision, it did not mean that Blair suddenly had the responsibility to reciprocate. Realizing that he may really be, in fact, too late, he slowly let go of Blair, taking a step back away from her. Without a word, Blair turned around on her heels, walking away from Seth and straight into the school.

After the incident, Blair proceeded to revert to her old ways of acting as if Seth did not exist. She was now angry at him for a host of different reasons – first for ruining her chances of playing Ellen in the production, second for his hot-and-cold act, and then finally, for the douchey move he had made hitting on her while he was still with Summer. To be honest, Blair found it flattering, and was slightly moved by the fact that he had finally found it within himself to admit that he had feelings for her. But just like everything else he did, he had managed to completely screw up the sequence and the content of that confession, and that had made all the difference. She tried, once again, to evict Seth Cohen from her mind, concentrating on her new role – as May Welland of all characters. She sighed deeply, hating Seth several degrees more instantly for the demise of acting as her least favorite character in the entire play. And because irony seemed to be a friend of Blair's lately, Seth was conveniently cast as none other than Count Olenski, Ellen's aristocratic husband. The relationships between them were now so fittingly complex that perhaps Summer and Luke should be cast as Ellen and Newland to perfect the circle of life.

Before she knew it, it was time for the performance of the play, which was to take place in front of the entire school. It was a rather rushed production, considering everything from the audition to the rehearsal and then now the actual performance, had taken place in the span of only two weeks. During this time, rehearsals had been painfully awkward, with Seth looking longingly at Blair every time she appeared, and Blair, pretending to remain unfazed by his desperate stares. Several times now Seth had tried to approach her to make her change her mind, but it was no use – she was not having any of it. She had always managed to make an escape just when Seth approached her, and the hectic rehearsal schedule made sure that the two of them never shared any time alone. Luckily, the topic of Seth never once came up between Summer and Blair; it was as if an unsaid pact was already made between them not to let the moron get in between their blossoming friendship. They gossiped about girls at school and discussed their views on celebrity pairings, but never once about the status of either of their relationships with Seth.

Now, Blair stood and waited nervously behind the curtain, waiting for her signal to enter. Running through her lines last minute, Blair closed her eyes and tried to concentrate, aiming for nothing less than a flawless performance, as always. She wouldn't wait to wow the audience, even if she didn't get her preferred role because of that mumbling ball of awkwardness. As if on cue, Seth appeared at the opposite of the stage, looking clean and sharp in his costume.

Hoping that Seth wouldn't see her, Blair couldn't help but observe him silently from head to toe, dressed as the wealthy count. Blair hated admitting it, but he sure cleaned up nice. She watched as he fidgeted, obviously anxious about appearing on stage. Even though she had denied that his move to audition for the play had affected her, she knew what a big deal it must have been to Seth, who possessed an intense fear of pubic speaking. While Blair was lost in her own thoughts, Seth caught her staring at him from across the stage, and made his way towards her.

_Shit_, she thought, looking around frantically. She hadn't planned an escape route for tonight of all nights. She was too worried about her performance to consider her getaway plan in case he tried to talk to her again. She realized, her heart sinking, that there was no place to run. She was set to be on stage in around five minutes, and feigning a washroom break was now out of the question. She stayed where she was, hoping that Seth would give up easily this time.

"What do you want?" she snapped in a loud whisper, before Seth even opened his mouth.

"Blair, it's been two weeks. Are you done being mad at me yet? Can you just let me explain?" Seth whispered back, pulling her aside. Blair flung away his hand, afraid of the impact that his touch may have on her.

"No! I'm not listening to you anymore. And leave me alone! Can't you see I'm trying to concentrate? I need some quiet time to work on my lines and get in character! Shoo!" Blair shot back, unwilling to back down. Seth Cohen was like an annoying fly that refused to die, despite being swatted for a million times already. She glared at him menacingly, waiting for him to walk away. But he didn't.

"I will _not_ 'shoo', Blair. In fact, I'm not putting up with this anymore and I'm not leaving until I finish saying what I have to say," Seth replied bravely. It seemed all the time he had spent getting into character had helped him develop his own courage as well. Or it may have been the liquid courage that he had consumed before the show. Meh.

Blair covered her ears. "I can't hear you!" she whispered, turning away from him. She knew she was being immature, but it was the only thing she could think of, trapped in such a small space. She was afraid of what he was going to say, or _do_ to her.

Seth grabbed her firmly by both her wrists, forcing down her hands to uncover her ears. He spun her around to face him directly, pushing her to listen to him. "Yes you can, Blair. Look, I know I've screwed up big time with you. I know I've made a ton of mistakes and that I've hurt you, and that I can't just waltz in her and expect you to forgive me. I know that. But you have to at least let me _try_." Blair tried again to cover her ears, but Seth successfully pinned her hands down, so that her movement was now restricted. She smelled alcohol on his breath, and she leaned back slightly to distance herself from him, trying to keep calm. The curtains rustled behind her.

"You _can't_ try, Seth," Blair whispered, more loudly now, showing her frustration. "What about Summer? And Luke? What about them, huh? You can't just do whatever you want and expect the whole world to adjust itself in order to make you happy. What about what makes _me_ happy? Or Summer happy, huh? Have you ever thought about that? Why can't you just make up your frikken mind already? Why is it that you only want me when I'm not available? It's all just a game to you, isn't it, Co -"

"Just shut up, Blair." Before Blair could protest, Seth grabbed her by the back of her head, pushing her lips to meet his to silence her. She considered briefly to pull away, but then decided against it, lost in the passion of the moment. Her heart swelled in response to the rhythm of their tongues, that were now tangled in a complicated jumble, taking her breath away. She opened her mouth to receive his kisses, which alternated between long and hard, fleeting and soft. Her lips lingered on his and neither of them parted from each other, Seth's hands running through her silky, brown hair. She pressed her mouth closer against his, allowing her need for him to become more apparent through her every action and reaction.

Suddenly, the curtains opened, and the stage revealed the two of them, fully engrossed in each other, their lips still locked. The audience and the other cast members gasped loudly in a mixture of surprise and horror, while the stage management team watched in amusement. The entire auditorium stood completely silent as a thousand somewhat teens and handfuls of parents and teachers watched Seth Cohen and Blair Waldorf, getting it on right there on stage. After what seemed like an eternity, Seth finally lifted himself from her embrace, and looked around to realize that they had been under surveillance all along – correction – they became the entire show altogether. Blair also turned her head slowly in horror only to notice both Summer and Luke, sitting in the audience. She couldn't quite read the expressions on their faces; Summer looked rather blank, as if she was examining a painting in great detail, and Luke – well, he looked like Luke, who was perpetually confused. She didn't know who to console and explain to first, and began to panic. As if finally realizing the scale of the situation, the stage managers quickly acted to close the curtains, hiding Seth and Blair once again. The audience instantly erupted into wolf calls and loud cheers, and many students began clapping in excitement. Blair felt nauseous.

"I-I…what the hell _was_ that, Seth?" Blair asked, stepping away from him. She told herself to think fast and react, but her head was heavy from all that had just happened between the two of them. "I've got to get to Luke…and Summer," she finally said, stumbling away.

"Blair," Seth said, reaching out to her, holding her hands again. "You don't have to explain to Summer. I've ended things with her for two weeks now, ever since that time with me and you…in the parking lot. I've tried to tell you this whole time, but you wouldn't listen." Blair opened her mouth, then closed it again, unsure of what to say.

"So now that you and Summer aren't together…you choose me?" Blair asked, still unsure about how to feel.

Seth took a deep breath and looked at her earnestly, brushing her hair out of her eyes. "No. You've got it the other way around."

"What do you mean?"

"It's not that now that Summer doesn't want me, I'm _choosing_ you, Blair," Seth said carefully, taking extra care not to mess up on what may be the most important speech of his adolescent bvt6life. "I ended things with Summer _because_ of you. Because no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get myself to stop thinking about you, couldn't put you out of my mind. Every time I see you, _you happen to me all over again_. So what I'm trying to say is, it's always been you, Blair. I was just too blind to see it, and too stupid to admit it. But I'm awake now, and if you give me a chance, I will spend every day after today making it up to you," Seth promised tenderly.

Blair's heart skipped a beat, and melted helplessly at his words. At last, someone she wanted, wants her in return. Not Serena, not Summer, not any other girl - but her, Blair Waldorf. "Are you quoting Wharton to woo me, Seth Cohen?" Blair teased, albeit impressed.

"Was I? I didn't notice. I just said what I was feeling – what I _am _feeling," Seth told her, still holding her hands. They stayed silent for a while, just holding hands, while the rest of the cast struggled to continue the show without them. "So…what now?" Seth finally asked.

"Now, I have to talk to Luke," Blair replied, thinking as she spoke. She took a step away from him, allowing him to let go of her hands. "You may have told Summer, but Luke – he has no idea what just happened." She looked up at Seth. "Wait for me?" she asked in a small voice.

Seth nodded. He watched as Blair disappeared, making her way out to find Luke. He sat back, reveling in the kiss that they had just shared, and hoping that things were finally going to work out the way they were supposed to – Seth and Blair, Blair and Seth. He shook his head and laughed a little at the thought. Who would have known?

"Luke!" Blair called, finally catching him amongst the crowd. She had waited for him to come out of the auditorium, still dressed in her costume. The people around her shot her judging looks, recognizing her from the show that she and Seth had treated them to earlier, but she didn't care. She knew she had hurt Luke, and she wanted him to hear the words directly from her. "Luke," she said, making her way to him, "what you just saw there, I -"

To her surprise, Luke looked calm and peaceful. "I know, Blair-Bear," he replied softly. "You don't have to say anything. I've seen the way you look at him and the effect he has on you. It was inevitable. I guess I was just waiting for it to happen." He gave her a sad, but understanding smile.

"You mean…you're not mad at me for what I – what _we_ did?" Blair asked, surprised that she was off the hook so easily. She hadn't really meant to be serious with Luke, but she had to admit that he had grown on her in the past few weeks.

"Nah – I just want you to be happy," Luke told her, offering her his hand to shake. "Friends?"

Blair's heart melted for the second time that day. She wondered where guys like Luke were for her entire life in the Upper East Side. Guess California had its good points after all. Her mind wandered back to Seth, who had managed to take her breath away tonight with his sudden display of determination. She nodded her head at him, taking his hand, and shaking it firmly. "Friends," she affirmed.

"Now go!" Luke gave her a little shove, nudging her back to the back stage, where Seth waited for her. She hesitated, observing Luke's reaction one last time, and, when she realized that he seemed indeed to be fine, rushed back in the direction that she came, pushing through the double doors that head to the stage.

She ran inside, shouting his name. "Cohen! Cohen! Where are you?" she demanded, rummaging through the miles of curtains and costumes that have now been left strewn all over the floor. She almost tripped over a part of the set, and recovered just in time to see Seth standing right in front of her, a smile on his handsome face, showing his deep dimple.

As soon as she saw him, she leapt directly into his arms, almost knocking the wind out of him. Seth took a step back at the impact, but swept her up until her feet no longer touched the ground, returning the embrace. He squeezed her tightly and continued to do so, until he could feel her struggling.

"I can't breathe, Cohen," Blair coughed out, trying to push him away. But Seth laughed and pulled her even closer, refusing to let her go, for fear that that he may lose her again. They stayed there at the back of the stage, laughing and hugging, holding each other until the last of the students cleared the school and it was just the two of them – Seth Cohen and Blair Waldorf.


	14. AN and spoilers! Be warned!

Since our dear Seth and Blair are finally together, this marks a very important change of direction in the story. Their story _will_ continue, and I will continuing detailing importants milestones in their relationship. I've been asked several questions that I wanted to address:

- Chuck will definitely make an appearance...and it will be an important one

- There is a real possibility of some Dan and Blair development in later chapters as well

- Summer, Marissa, Ryan, and also characters from the UES continue to be important to the development of their story

- I will continue to use references from both the OC and GG, but will start to divert noticeably from these storylines, since GG (imo) never portrayed genuine character growth for Blair

- Look forward to special Chrismukkah and Valentine's chapters! There are some fun fun fun surprises planned :)

- Luke will be missed, and I honestly have fallen in love with the character as well. I will try to keep him around!

- and...no promises that Seth and Blair will get a happy ending. I tend to find happy endings rather dull and unsurprising

Address any questions you may have directly to me either on my tumblr or my reviews! I would love plot suggestions and even requests, as I am always open to new and fun ideas. Keep letting me know what you think! Thanks so much for the overwhelming support so far! Love seeing those reviews!

Love,

Emile


	15. Chapter 12 - The Plan B

**A/N: This marks the first chapter after Seth and Blair become open with their feelings for each other, after a 3-day hiatus. I've been busier than usual these days, hence the slow updates. Not a worry though, since a write with a plan (unlike GG writers), and have a good 50 more chapters planned already in the making. I definitely have a clear idea of where the story is headed. As for all of you who are worried about Bleth not ending up together, or being too fluffy and sweet all the time...don't! There'll be plenty of drama to keep everyone happy, and I promise that our Seth and Blair will be happy in the end, in one way or another. You'll just have to keep reading to see what happens! Again, appreciate all the reviews and comments, and would love to get more suggestions or ideas. It would also be great if some of you faithful readers could spread a good word about the fic so I can collect some more readers. :)**

**Lots of love and Happy International Women's Day! Go feminism!**

"Pssst…Cohen! Here!"

Seth heard a voice hiss at him from around the corner. Before he could react, a hand reached out to grab him by the back of his collar, sending him toppling backwards and into the History classroom. Within seconds, he found himself smothered with kisses from his forehead, to the tip of his nose, to his ears, and finally his lips. He let out a loud moan.

"Shhh!" Blair commanded. She shoved him hard against the table, causing the globe to topple over. With Seth's back against the table, she continued to lean on top of him, not giving him a chance to protest – not that he wanted to, anyway. He did his best to match her rhythm, eating up each kiss hungrily and eagerly. He was just about to speak out and ask for air, when she suddenly tore away from him, wiping her mouth and straightening up her mane.

"B-Blair?" Seth asked in a questioning tone, getting up and brushing himself off. He winced as he realized how much his back was aching from its frequent impact with hard surfaces ever since him and Blair started seeing each other. He stretched, arching his back.

"Maybe we should do this somewhere more…private," Blair suggested playfully, approaching him again, like a sly feline trying to catch her prey. She had thought she heard someone coming, but the room was quiet again, allowing Blair to return to her frisky mood. She pressed her lips against his ear, and blew a hot breath of air, causing shivers to run down Seth's spine. She could feel him trembling, which gave thrilled her immensely.

"Uh…well, you know, we could always go to my place, maybe catch up on some video games, or maybe watch Lord of the Rings - " Seth started rambling again, unable to think straight with Blair so close to him. He could feel her warm body against his, and the closeness was almost too much for him to handle. Plus, she smelled nice – like a mixture of a honey and lavender. Vanilla, maybe? No, definitely lavender.

"I can think of many other activities we could do at home," Blair answered suggestively, causing Seth to gulp. He wasn't used to this sort of attention from a girl. Even when he was dating Summer, their time together consisted of an occasional sloppy kiss and watching episodes of The Valley. Suddenly, the bell rang, and Blair pulled herself away from Seth again, leaving him craving for more.

"Time for class," she declared, picking up her books from a nearby table. She waved her fingers at him, and smiled seductively. Seth felt like he needed an entire pitcher of ice water to calm himself down.

"Can I walk you?" he asked, rather timidly. He didn't want to separate from her – not even for a minute.

Blair looked a little uncomfortable, and hesitated. "Well, I wouldn't want to make you late for your English class," she replied, shoving him lightly towards the door. She nodded her head to the right. "You go that way, and I go this way. See you tonight, okay?" Blair gave him a soft peck on his left cheek before slipping through the tiny crack of the door, disappearing into the crowd.

* * *

Blair sighed. It wasn't that she wasn't happy with Seth – she was – in fact, she didn't remember being so happy with any guy, not with Nate, not with Luke, and well, _definitely_ not when she was with Chuck. Since that fateful night of the performance of The Age of Innocence, Blair and Seth had been spending a lot more time together at each others' houses. In fact, Dorota was so accustomed to seeing Seth sneak out of Blair's bedroom late at night, that she ended up leaving a plate of cookies and a glass of milk for him to have as a late-night snack. _Just like Santa Claus_, Dorota had said. Blair smiled at the thought.

And it wasn't just the amount of time they had been spending together. The _quality_ was good, as well. They discussed everything from movies to art to Radiohead. It seemed that even for two people who were from completely different worlds, they had managed to find some common ground to bind them together. Blair knew deep in her heart that Seth made her so very light and happy inside – even a little giddy. She found herself walking down the halls with a senseless grin plastered on her face at all times, and a little bounce in each step. She also found that she laughed a lot more at his silly, lame jokes which used to make her roll her eyes. She relished every moment they spent with each other, and it was refreshing to not be in a relationship that revolved around constant sex or tortured angst, as it had been with Chuck and Nate.

All this, of course, wasn't the problem. The problem was, even though literally the entire school had witnessed their passionate kiss on the night of the performance, Blair still wasn't sure whether she was ready yet to announce to the world that Blair Waldorf was now _dating_ Seth Cohen. The word itself made Blair cringe. No offense against the guy or anything, but he wasn't exactly the most popular guy at Harbor – or popular at all, for that matter. It had taken a lot of time and sacrifice for Blair to work up to her position as Queen, and she wasn't sure whether she was ready to sacrifice all of that for a curly-haired boy with an unhealthy obsession with toy horses.

"I've brought you some macarons," a voice suddenly called out from behind her door.

Her heart skipped a beat as Seth walked in sheepishly, a delicate paper bag in his hands. She greeted him with a long hug and a peck on the lips, which eventually turned into a ten minute long make-out session. By the end of the ten minutes, it was Blair that was on her back with Seth on top, crushing the macarons to pieces. Seeing that the desserts had been utterly destroyed, Seth finally retreated and rolled onto his back beside her, leaving Blair gasping for air. Blair held on to his hand, and rested her cheek against his shoulder.

"Hey, Blair? I was just thinking…you wanna maybe go out tonight instead? Catch a movie, eat out?" Seth suddenly suggested.

Blair sat up slowly, combing out her hair and thinking carefully about her reply. "What's wrong with staying in? There's so much more we could do right _here_," she said coyly, climbing on top of him again.

Seth grabbed her by her waist and flipped her over playfully, causing her to giggle. "We can't just spend our entire lives in this bedroom," he replied, wrapping a strand of hair behind her ear. She looked beautiful, as always, blinking up innocently at him.

"Of _course_ we can," she replied, nibbling on his ear. Seth almost surrendered right that moment, but he reminded himself that he meant business. He gently took Blair by her shoulders and shifted her to his side, where she could no longer distract him with – well, _herself_.

"Blair, I want to take you out on a date. Just say yes, okay?" Seth had learned that the only kinds of conversations that worked with Blair were the ones where he was willing to be firm.

Blair raised an eyebrow at him, impressed in spite of herself. He was learning quickly. "Alright, fine," Blair sighed with a slight pout. "Give me a moment. I'll get dressed, and you can take me wherever you want, okay?" she said, getting up from the bed.

"I can stay here and help you pick out an outfit," Seth cajoled, sliding up to her.

"In your dreams," Blair narrowed her eyes at him and shoved him hard onto the bed. She ushered him out of the bedroom, but not before Seth sprung up and snatched Blair's Cabbage Patch Kids from her dresser.

"I'm taking her hostage," he said, waving the doll in front of her and shuffling outside.

Blair laughed as she pushed him outside, rolling her eyes. She shut the door behind him, and let out a heavy sigh. Now what? She scrambled inside her closet for the appropriate attire fit for social suicide.

After around twenty minutes, Blair finally walked out of her bedroom. Seth stared at her in shock, as he looked her over from head to toe. She had a scarf around her head, which covered both her hair and her mouth, and her eyes were shielded by a huge pair of Chanel sunglasses that were tinted pitch black, her dark brown eyes nowhere to be seen. The only patch of skin left on her face was her nose. The rest of her outfit was equally ridiculous and left her completely unrecognizable. She had on a full leather bodysuit, resembling Cat Woman – not a super hero that Seth was particularly fond of. He cocked his head to the side in confusion.

"Uh, Blair, I think I said I wanted to take you to the movies, not rob a bank," he joked. He reached out to take off her sunglasses but she pulled back defensively.

"I happen to think this is the perfect attire for a casual evening out. So, are we going or what?" she asked lightly, walking ahead of him.

"Blair, people are going to think you're _crazy_. That, or that _I'm_ crazy, for hanging out with a wanted suspect," he reasoned with her. But she was already heading down the stairs and towards the door.

"Are we going, or what? It's not too late to change your mind," she challenged him, her hand on the doorknob.

Seth finally gave in. He took her hand and pulled her away from the door gingerly. "Look, Blair. I know what you're trying to do. I know you're not ready to come out as a…couple or anything. I'm sorry I tried to push you, okay? Now can you please just let me see your face, already?" he reached out and snatched off her scarf, letting her hair fall loose.

Blair reached up to take off her sunglasses, folding them inwards. "So you don't mind that I want to keep this…_us_ a secret?" she asked in a small voice, sitting down on top of the bench next to the door.

He sat down next to her and took her hands, placing it in his lap. "I'm upset that I can't parade you around and show you off to the world yet, but I understand. Let's take it slow, okay?" Seth raised his hand to brush her cheek lightly, bringing a smile to Blair's lips. She promised herself that she would fix this, no matter what it took. She was sure she could come up with a plan that would allow her to walk around Newport on Seth's arm, and be damn proud of it too. She just had to think.

After a fulfilling night of Dorota's signature lasagna and plenty of cuddling, Blair returned to school determined to put an end to the hiding. How could she come out to her minions and the rest of the snobs at Harbor about her and Seth's budding new romance? Surely she had nothing to be ashamed of. In fact, she was sure that if they just gave him a chance, they would be able to appreciate the Cohen charm as well. She was just repeating this in her head, trying hard to convince herself of this, when she walked past the English room, catching a glimpse of her awkward…friend. She hung back and watched him, stammering and stuttering as he spoke to the new English teacher about his essay. She rolled her eyes. It was going to be a tough job convincing the others that he had any bit of cool inside of him, and he really wasn't making the job easier with all his whining.

She was going to continue walking, until she noticed the teacher. Miss Collins was a fresh graduate, and all the boys at school were drooling over the hot new teacher. Blair wouldn't exactly call her _hot_, but she knew teenage boys and their hormones. She was just attractive enough to catch their attention, and created a buzz from the moment she walked through the door. Suddenly, Blair knew exactly what she had to do. She smiled in satisfaction at her own brilliance. By the end of the week, she was sure that she'd be able to march out with Seth in open daylight, and they would be able to go wherever they wanted to.

* * *

"Ryan, is there something on my nose?" Seth asked, looking left and right. He was trying to catch up to Ryan, who was speeding down the halls, minding his own business as usual.

"No Seth, for the hundredth time, you look fine," Ryan replied, impatient. It seemed that dating Blair Waldorf had spiked up Seth's neurotism index yet another notch. He was constantly worried that people were watching him, or talking about him, and Seth had mentioned several times that he wanted to respect Blair's decision of not going public – although it didn't seem like that to Ryan. Ryan did notice, however, that Seth seemed to be getting more attention than usual. It wasn't just about his kiss with Blair; that had happened almost two weeks ago, and the news eventually died down shortly after. The stares and the whispers intensified today, and even Ryan was starting to feel uncomfortable with all the looks being thrown in their direction.

"Do you think maybe, it's because they found out that Blair and I are dating?" Seth asked Ryan in a low voice, unable to stop moving his hands. "Because that wouldn't be cool, and I'm pretty sure she would kill me if she realized people found out." He ran his hand through his messy hair, exasperated.

"Are you sure _you're_ cool with this? I mean, all these secrets and hiding – it's not really healthy in a relationship," Ryan pointed out.

"Ah, words of wisdom, my friend," Seth replied. "Although I do want to point out that in our case, it's completely healthy, and even a little sexy. Random hookups in the chemistry lab, stealing kisses in the boys' locker room. You have to be real stealthy to pull that off, you know," Seth exclaimed, wiggling his fingers at Ryan. Ryan kept silent, giving him a look that managed to capture perfectly everything he wanted to convey. Seth always wondered how he did that. "Okay, fine. So it's sub-optimal. But I'm getting used to it. And I'm giving her the time she needs to come out of her shell. She's just a little shy. She'll come around," Seth said, trying to convince himself.

"Blair Waldorf…shy?" Ryan asked, his face completely serious. Seth met his eyes and sighed. He really needed to talk to her again about this. Just as he turned around, he noticed another group of girls staring at him and whispering. He was accustomed to this type of treatment, once in a while. Usually they alternated between completely ignoring his existence and then spreading some sort of rumor about how Death Breath Seth had stepped on a skunk. Or something juvenile like that. This time though, it seemed that they were looking at him with an expression of…awe. A girl even winked at him suggestively, leaving Seth thoroughly confused.

"Did she just -" Seth turned to ask Ryan, finally allowing himself to look away.

"Yup."

Just when they were about to discuss further, Blair showed up out of nowhere and slapped Seth hard on the back. "Cohen," she snapped. "Just the Jew I wanted to see!"

"I thought you didn't want people at school to…know about _us_," Seth remarked, dropping his voice to a low whisper. To his surprise, Blair laughed.

"Oh, no worries, Seth. I'm starting to see the light," she exclaimed, clapping her hands together in glee. To his absolute distress, she seemed to be in an awfully cheery mood – _too _cheery. "Now, come with me. We've got to do something about…this," she said, gesturing to his hair. She pulled him by the wrist and dragged him into the boys' washroom, locking the door behind them.

"Blair, I don't think this is the way you wanna go if you want to be low key," Seth said sarcastically, raising his eyebrow slightly.

"Oh, shut up, Cohen," Blair retorted, grabbing a bottle of gel from her tote bag and handing it to Seth. "Now squeeze," she commanded.

"_What_?!"

"Squeeze. The hair gel. In your hands, and put it on your head. God, Cohen, have you _never_ heard of hair gel?" Blair cried, exasperated.

"I have, but I have opted for sixteen full years of my life not to use it, for good reasons," Seth replied defiantly. No one was messing with his man locks. Not even Blair Waldorf.

"Yes, for the sole reason that you seem to prefer looking like a muppet," Blair remarked under her breath. She squirted the gel onto her own hands, and rubbed them together, preparing to do the job herself. "Here, allow me," she said, reaching out to tame his hair.

"No…no no NO!" Seth fought her off with all of his might, almost slipping on the wet floor. He finally managed to unlock the door, fumbling with panic, then stumbled out of the washroom. Blair hurried to wash her hands off before rushing out behind him.

"SETH COHEN! YOU GET BACK HERE THIS INSTANT!" she barked at him, her eyes burning with rage.

Seth immediately dashed towards Ryan, who happened to be nearby, talking to Marissa. "Christ help me, Ryan. That woman is _insane_," he said, cowering behind him. He pulled the both of them to one side, away from Blair's line of vision. Blair stomped towards them, looking left and right for a sign of Seth, then, giving up, walked away briskly. Seth finally relaxed and allowed himself to reappear. "Thank _God_."

"Hello, Seth. Having a fun-filled day, I suppose?" Marissa asked with amusement. She watched as he continued to glance nervously around him, drawing even more attention to himself.

"Could you perhaps enlighten me as to why I am getting all this sudden attention? These girls…they're looking at me like I'm a gigantic, walking chocolate bar," he said, shuddering at the thought. He dropped his voice back to a whisper. "Is it because they know about me and Blair? I mean, I knew she was popular, but I didn't think it would make the whole _school_ suddenly _want_ me," he commented, shaking his head in wonder. He caught yet another girl checking him out, and quickly looked away.

"You think it's because of _Blair_?" Marissa asked, laughing a little. She cleared her throat, realizing that both Ryan and Seth had no idea what was going on. "There's a rumor going around, but it's not about you and Blair. It's about you and…Miss Collins," she replied, her voice trailing off as she gave Ryan a look.

"Miss Collins?! The English teacher?" Seth cried out loud. He noticed the stares escalating, and dropped his voice back to an appropriate volume. "What do you mean? What are they saying?"

"Well _apparently_, word has it that you two had a fling in the summer before she started teaching here, and that you lost your virginity to her. And - " Marissa paused for a dramatic effect, "that she thought you were the best she had."

"Didn't you spend your entire summer with the DC heroes?" Ryan asked, glancing over at Seth suspiciously.

"World of Warcraft and anime. But that's besides the point. Where on earth did you hear this?" Seth asked, turning to Marissa.

Marissa shrugged. "The whole school's talking about it. Of course _I_ know it's complete bullshit. But I guess the others thought it made some sense, considering you've been seen with both Summer _and_ Blair, only two of the hottest girls at Harbor in a span of two short weeks," she replied. She was still a little angry at him for the way he treated Summer, regardless of how strong his feelings were for Blair.

Seth glanced at his feet. There could only be one person that would benefit from his dirty street cred. "I've gotta run. I'll talk to you at home, okay Ryan?" he said as he rushed down the halls.

When he finally found Blair, she was in the cafeteria, surrounded by her little minions. She literally shone in the sunlight, looking radiant as ever, as she spoke excitedly. "Well, _I_ knew about it a long time ago. My cousin's friends with her, and she raved on and on about him. Why else do you think Summer went out with him back then? And why I made out with him that night? I was curious, so I wanted to experiment," she explained, while her minions looked thoroughly impressed. They bombarded her with questions, and Blair began patiently answering each one, filling in all the details with nothing but her imagination. If Seth weren't so angry with her, he would have praised her for her quick wit. But he was downright furious.

"Blair," he said in a voice, just loud enough to interrupt her storytelling.

"Cohen!" she exclaimed, in a voice that was a little too high-pitched. She rushed towards him, trying to usher him aside. But he wouldn't budge. "Why don't we go talk in a private place?" she threatened instead of requested, shoving him by his arm, but to no avail.

"We're not going anywhere until you explain to me what the hell is going on," Seth replied, suddenly feeling bold. He never imagined that he would have the guts to speak to Blair Waldorf that way, but he was tired of being manipulated by her. First the headscarf, then the hair gel, and now – this. He was beyond his limit.

"What do you mean?" Blair asked, her voice turning cold itself. Blair knew that she would sooner or later have to explain all of this to Seth, and that he wouldn't be pleased, but she also wasn't about to let him belittle her in front of her minions.

"You know exactly what I mean, Blair. All of this. All these rumors and gossip and scheming? Why couldn't you just come out and tell me that you were ashamed to be with me as I am?" Seth asked, hurt and disappointed.

Blair stayed exactly where she was, refusing to move. They stood a foot away from each other, eye-to-eye, as Blair raised her chin to meet his accusing glare. She swallowed, but refused to show any sign of her weakness. Her minions fell silent, watching the confrontation, as if ready to take out their camera phones and record the entire thing any minute now. A small crowd was gathering around the two of them as the other students also grew curious about the intense exchange.

"I don't understand why you're so upset, Seth. All the boys are dying to get close to Miss Collins. There's nothing to be ashamed of," Blair tried to sound as casual as possible without revealing any of the truth. She was hoping that Seth would catch the hint and finally back down, but he didn't.

"I'm upset because you _lied_, Blair," he said, point-blank. He turned around the face the other students and spoke directly to her minions. "I didn't sleep with Miss Collins. I don't even _know_ her. The only time I ever spoke to her was this morning, when I was asking why I didn't get an A for my stupid essay." He turned back to face Blair, as the students widened their eyes in surprise and watched for Blair's reaction. "Blair, I am who I am. If you aren't ready to accept me for that, and to be upfront about it, then I guess it's just too bad. Honestly, I really like you, and these two weeks have been amazing when we're alone, but whenever we're at school, or out in public, you act like a nervous wreck and you can't relax, not even for a second. I'm sorry, but I'm not going to be your puppet and lather gel all over my hair just to please you. That's not who I am."

"And _this_ is who I am. I gossip and I scheme and I spread rumors. I'm paranoid and nervous and it matters to me what people think. If you wanted someone carefree and relaxed with a sunny disposition, you should have chosen my blonde friend the last time she came to visit!" Blair knew she was being unreasonable, but she just couldn't help but launch her warped logic into full force. She was embarrassed, and Seth had made her feel terribly guilty and ashamed of herself – all of which were her least favourite emotions. She turned to the crowd and yelled at them. "What are you all staring at? Don't you have anything better to do?" The students nearby hesitated, then scattered away like a swarm of bees. She turned back to Seth, only the two of them now, still standing a foot apart from each other.

"I don't _want_ your friend Selena or whatever, Blair. It's not _about_ her. It's about you and me. And you have to decide. This is who I am. I don't have one-night stands with teachers, and I don't spend my spare time douching it out with the boys. I want to be with you – everything you are – neurotic, bossy, demanding, violent as hell – but 100% you. Now you just have to decide whether you want to be with me, too."

Blair bit her lip and looked up at him. Seth was awfully attractive the way he was, and she had to admit there was something sexy about him when he tried to be serious. She finally eased up and rolled her eyes. "It's _Serena_, you dumbass," she replied. "And yes, I _do _want to be with you," she said earnestly, taking a step closer to him.

With that, Seth took it as an indication that she had made up her mind, and reached out to grab her by the waist, and kissed her. Blair responded eagerly, drawing closer to him, shutting out all the gasps of shock and surprise that surrounded them, and the sounds of camera phones snapping away as they took pictures of the two, fully engrossed in one another. It was the second time that they had done this at school with the entire student body watching. This time, however, Blair no longer cared what anyone thought. She had come to Newport to be free, and kissing Seth Cohen in the open cafeteria was the closest she had ever come in her entire life to feeling completely free. They stood there, kissing and holding onto each other while the others watched. The students at Harbor would later on refer to Seth as the boy who stood up to Blair Waldorf, and no one ever questioned again what Blair Waldorf was doing dating Seth Cohen. They were finally equals.


	16. Chapter 13 - The Entourage

**A/N: Some borrowed material from the OC for this chapter, but not much. And I took some creative direction with Seth's character and gave him a special ability. Hope you guys like it! Please give me a review if you like where this is going! :)**

"So anyway Ryan, what I'm saying is, we should all just go to the Bait Shop tonight for the Neon Trees show. Summer will have Marissa to keep her company, Marissa will have you, you will have me, and – "

"- and I will stay home and revise for my SATs," Blair interjected.

"What? You can't miss the show. And the SATs are like, a month away. You've got plenty of time to study!" Seth protested, turning his attention back to Blair.

Blair shrugged. The truth was she didn't feel like playing fifth wheel to Seth's little gang. Ever since their big reveal to the entire school that they were in fact, a _thing_, Seth had taken to arrange all sorts of group "hangs" that always seemed to include Ryan, Marissa, and of course – Summer. Summer and Blair had talked since the incident, and they made it perfectly clear that they were both cool about the whole thing, but it didn't mean Blair wanted be sisters now, or anything. Besides, with the "relationship" out in the open, Blair and Seth no longer needed to sneak around and make out in locker rooms, or stay in and cuddle 24/7, so Blair was really missing the quality time alone. Well, not that she was even sure they _were_ in a relationship. In fact, another thing that was bothering Blair was that Seth had never actually made it clear to anyone what they actually _were_. She rolled her eyes to herself, as Seth became entranced in his own conversation with Ryan yet again, trying to convince him that he did know enough of their songs to go to the show.

"You can't listen to Journey forever, Ryan," Seth was saying.

Blair had had enough. She stood up abruptly, picking up her half-finished yogurt, and tossing it in the trash. She then walked away briskly from the table.

"Hey, Blair – where are you going? Lunch isn't even over yet," Seth said, scrambling to collect his bag and books in time to catch up with her. He gave a small wave to the group and ran after her. A group of kids nearby looked over as they saw him running up to her, grabbing her elbow to get her attention. Ever since their second big kiss, the students at Harbor seemed to have accepted the two of them as a reality. It turns out that Blair had been overthinking things the entire time – even her minions turned out to be rather impressed by her guts to date a total nobody.

Blair spun around to look at him. "I lost my appetite," was her simple reply. She walked away from him again, not in the mood to be having this conversation.

Seth blocked her path and put his hands on her arms, looking at her tenderly. "Blair, is something wrong? I mean, you've been so quiet lately." Seth paused to look around, seeing that no one was even looking at them anymore. "Is it because you're still worried about what the others think? Because I'm pretty sure no one cares anymore. Or is _that_ what's bothering you…the fact that no one cares anymore," he suggested, knowing that it was in Blair to care about such things.

The concerned expression on his face made Blair melt a little, and wonder if she was overreacting to the whole thing. "No…it's not that," she muttered. Blair watched Seth grow even more confused as they glanced at his feet and chewed on his lip, staying silent. Seeing that her aloofness wasn't really helping anything, she decided to take matters into her own hands. She suddenly looked up cheerfully. "Listen, how about you come over and help me study a bit after school today, and I'll see if I'm in the mood for the Neon Trees afterwards, okay?" she offered.

"But I promised Ryan that I - " Seth started.

"Just say yes, Cohen," Blair half-warned. She was starting to lose her patience again, and looked at him sternly to get the message across.

Seth quickly retreated and saluted to Blair dramatically. "Yes, ma'am. I will be there and I will be the best tutor ever and get that beautiful mind of yours a 2400, no doubt," Seth replied, taking Blair's tiny face into his hands and kissing her softly on her nose. She loved how petite she always felt in his arms. His arm slid down in her waist and they walked to class together, Blair leaning on his bony shoulder – which, to be honest, didn't bother her much since the muscular jock type was never really her thing. She smiled up at him as he chattered endlessly about all the new words he would teach her, and thought that things may finally go according to plan after all.

* * *

Blair was whistling cheerfully as she checked her appearance in the mirror. It was beneath her to put so much effort into getting a guy's attention, but she was willing to make an exception just this once. The truth was, she had missed having him all to herself this week, and had a million things she wanted to talk to him about. Blair had a free period for the last lesson, and had gone home first to make sure they would spend a perfect afternoon in together – just the two of them. She actually clapped in glee when she heard Dorota open the door, and ran out of her room eagerly to greet Seth – only to find Ryan, Marissa, and Summer right behind him. She gaped at Seth in disbelief as she grabbed a robe nearby and threw it over herself, then proceeded down the stairs, trying to keep calm. She failed.

"What are they doing here?" Blair had not meant for the words to sound so unwelcoming, but she was beyond frustrated with him.

"Blair!" Seth called out chirpily, not even noticing her icy tone. "I asked them to come over so they could listen to some Neon Trees on your iPod before the show. I promise I won't let them distract us from studying," he said earnestly, which annoyed Blair even more.

"ARE YOU STUPID?" Blair roared at him. Seth blinked hard at her in shock. "Never mind – don't answer that." Behind her, Dorota tiptoed away, already know that her mistress was going to unleash hell on the poor boy.

"Blair, why are you so upset? I'm here, just like I promised!" Seth exclaimed, his voice developing into a whine. He didn't know why she was being so difficult lately. Then he remembered – she had always been difficult, even when they were friends. Of course he had to fall for an absolute diva. He walked up to her in attempt to calm her down, which made her flip out even more.

"Get your hands off me! God, I can't believe I'm losing my cool over such a complete imbecile!" Blair wanted desperately to throw something at him.

"Uh…I think we're gonna head out first, Seth," Ryan finally said, understanding full well what was going on. He had warned Seth that he didn't think it would be a good idea to come along, but Seth had assured them that Blair would love the extra company. _She's such a social butterfly_, Seth had told them while all three of them shared a knowing glance.

"No, you guys stay. _Please_. I'll go," Blair retorted sharply, grabbing her keys and heading out the door, leaving the four of them standing in her foyer. Seth darted out after her to try to calm her down.

"Blair, where are you going? And…in your nightgown?" he asked, seeing for the first time what she was wearing. "Why _are_ you in your nightgown anyway? I thought you were gonna come out with us for the show."

Boy, he was really clueless. "Who cares about the goddamn show, Cohen? Why do you _think_ I was in a nightgown?" she asked, whirling around to talk to him. "I thought we'd be spending some quality time together – alone. That's why!"

"But we always spend time alone!" Seth objected. He knew it wasn't a good idea to talk back at a time like this, but he was upset at the way she was reacting.

"No we don't! We're always with other people. It's always, oh, Ryan and I wanted to do this, and Summer and Marissa is coming with us to do that. Can't you be with me without needing a chaperone?" Blair cried out incredulously.

"It's not about that," Seth said, trying to explain. He dropped his voice lower so that the others wouldn't hear. "I just didn't want Summer to feel left out, you know. There's you and me, and Ryan and Marissa…and you know what happened, between us…" Seth trailed off.

"And what about me? Who's gonna care when _I_ feel left out?"

"But you've got me, Blair! Summer's got nobody!" Seth was getting agitated himself now.

"I've _got_ you? How do I even know that? How do I know we're not just all friends, hanging out together? We don't kiss, we don't hold hands, we sure as hell don't go on dates alone…so what _are_ we, Cohen?" Blair was more annoyed at herself for uttering such pathetic questions, and in such a similar fashion as she had done before, to the exact same dense idiot. She waited for his reply, hoping that he'd finally say what she wanted to hear.

Seth took a step back, surprised at the question. He hesitated, then opened his mouth to answer. "Come on, Blair, you don't have to ask," he said finally.

Blair threw her arms in the air in exasperation. "Just go, okay Seth? And take your friends with you," she added, crossing her arms indignantly.

She looked away as Seth went back into the house to round up his friends, then proceeded to climb into his SUV, looking at her one last time to see if she had changed her mind. But Blair wouldn't look at him. He sighed heavily, then drove away with Ryan and the girls. Blair stomped back into her house and ran into her room, slamming the bedroom door shut behind her.

"I don't get what her problem is," Seth complained after five minutes of complete silence. No one had the nerve to say anything after Blair's tantrum. Summer laughed in response, and Marissa elbowed her in the ribs to get her to stop. "It's not funny, Summer. She's worse than Jekyll and Hyde. She's probably gonna be pissed for like, another week now. And for nothing. Why is it Ryan, that it's always us that has to apologize, even when it's not our fault?"

Summer and Marissa snorted collectively. "But it _is_ your fault, Seth," Marissa couldn't stop herself from replying. She had wanted to keep her opinions to herself, but couldn't stand how completely incognizant Seth was. "She obviously wanted to spend time alone with you, and was just disappointed that you brought all of us along."

"Well what was I supposed to do? We're all friends, right? What's wrong with hanging out together? Couples do that all the time," Seth argued.

"Man, I am _so_ glad I'm not dating you," Summer said under her breath. Seth ignored her and turned to Ryan.

"Ryan, help a brother out here. Do you think this is my fault, too?" Seth pleaded.

Ryan shot him an uneasy look. "Sorry, man," he replied matter-of-factly.

Seth groaned in despair. "So what am I supposed to do now? She's gonna hate me. She probably already does."

"Well, what did she say to you?" Ryan asked.

"She asked me what we _were_ – what we _are_," Seth corrected himself, still feeling dazed out.

"And?" Summer coaxed him on.

"_And_ I told her she didn't have to ask," Seth replied truthfully.

"SETH!" Marissa and Summer exclaimed in unison. Ryan gave him a look.

"What?" Seth asked, trying not to let their yelling distract him from his driving. He swerved a little to the left. "We kissed twice in front of the entire school, and practically everyone at Harbor knows that we're together now. What else could we be?"

"Look, Seth," Marissa answered, hoping to give him some insight, "girls need _romance_. People don't just get together, end of story. They need something. Some sort of grand gesture to show that she's your _girlfriend_, and not just some friend you like to hang out with. Plus, it doesn't really help that you like to bring along a girl that you used to date not too long ago," she paused, glancing over at Summer. "No offense, Sum."

"None taken, Coop," Summer sat up straighter and leaned towards the driver's seat to make her point. "Cohen, you don't have to worry about me. I'm fine with everything. I got along just fine even before you and Chino came into the picture. It's sweet that you don't want me to feel left out, but you really need to start giving some attention to your _actual_ girlfriend."

Seth stayed silent. He knew they were right. He was so caught up worrying about Summer's feelings that he had forgotten about Blair's, and taken her for granted yet again. But he wasn't about to let her slip away so easily. After a few months under the guidance of Blair Waldorf, Seth was confident that he and his friends could cook up a scheme of their own to win her back.

"Okay guys, so here's what we're gonna do…"

* * *

Blair was trying to focus on her SAT flashcards, but to no avail. Her mind kept drifting off to that the whiny, insecure but insensitive, no-good, loser of a boyfriend – acquaintance…whatever he was – that she had. She rolled her notes up into a ball and threw it at the rubbish bin in her room. _Missed_. She fell onto her back and sighed. Suddenly, her phone rang. She wrinkled her nose as she realized it was one of her minions – Kelly Stevens. She picked up the phone.

"Hello? Blair Waldorf speaking. Talk fast, you're breaking my concentration," she demanded. She heard the sound of drums in the background, and immediately knew exactly what was going on.

"Uh – Blair? A couple of us are hanging out at the Bait Shop tonight, and we were wondering if you wanted to come with," she explained in a slow voice, as if someone was conducting her every word. Blair rolled her eyes. She could see through this ploy with her eyes closed.

"Tell Seth Cohen I'm not interested," she replied, ready to hang up.

"Oh, but I think you will be," a deeper voice shot back. It was Ryan. Blair became interested in spite of herself. "See you in ten." They hung up.

Blair stared silently at her cell phone, unsure of what to do next. Show up, and she loses. Don't show up, and she won't know what that little weasel had planned, and how he would explain away his prior idiocy. She drummed her fingers on her study guide, and planted herself into her bed decisively, resolving to keep her pride and let him wallow in his own misery for at least another month before she would let him see her again.

* * *

In exactly eight minutes, Blair pulled up at the entrance of the Bait Shop, where a large crowd of teenagers had already gathered. The noisy bar wasn't usually her scene, and she hated the feeling of having a bunch of Newport's sweaty rocker teens brushing up on her in the poorly-ventilated venue, but she had let her curiosity get the best of her. Besides, she must admit that she had a thing for alternative pop rock. She walked gingerly into the bar, scanning the room for a sign of Seth Cohen.

"She's here – she's here! Action stations!" she heard some random stranger calling into a walkie-talkie. Blair held back a smile at the fuss Seth was making for her as she walked further, towards the stage.

To her surprise, there stood Seth Cohen – on the stage itself. He looked more scrawny and awkward than ever in his geek-chic retro tee and fitted jeans, and was holding an acoustic guitar in his hands, standing completely erect in front of the microphone. _Oh no_, Blair thought, as she scrambled for an escape. This was more than just social humiliation – it was utter social destruction. She recognized almost half the people in the bar, and realized that Seth had probably invited the entire school for his coming-of-age performance.

"There she is!" Seth exclaimed into the microphone, pointing straight at her. To her complete horror, the staff at the Bait Shop quickly shone a spotlight on her, making her stop dead in her tracks. She had no choice but to turn back and face the stage to wait for whatever Seth had up his sleeves. She saw that Neon Trees had retreated into the shadows behind Seth, and wondered how on earth he had gotten the band to agree to this whole charade.

"This is for Blair Waldorf, the beautiful girl standing right there," he continued, strumming a chord onto the guitar. Blair was impressed. He seemed to know what he was doing. She watched as he opened his mouth and began to sing:

_Here we go again_

_I kinda wanna be more than friends  
So take it easy on me  
I'm afraid you're never satisfied_

_Here we go again_  
_We're sick like animals_  
_We play pretend_  
_You're just a cannibal_  
_And I'm afraid I won't get out alive_

_No, I won't sleep tonight_

The crowed sang along with him once he got to the chorus, his eyes never leaving Blair's the entire time. He had performed a slow, acoustic version of the song, and had sounded unexpectedly good, too. Guess his only strengths weren't just skateboarding and whining. She smiled widely as a group of strangers crowded her and cheered her on, encouraging her to step up on the stage. She waited for him to finish the song before she made her move.

_Oh oh I want some more  
Oh oh What are you waiting for  
Say goodbye to my heart tonight_

The audience erupted into loud cheers, and the drummer drummed softly on the cymbals, bringing the song to a finish. Seth looked down shyly at his feet, and put his hand up to receive the feedback. He glanced nervously at Blair, waiting for her response. There was no telling with Blair Waldorf. He put down his guitar and walked off the stage, caught in the spotlight the entire time. The audience grew quiet as they waited to see what would happen next. Seth stepped up to her and took a deep breath to steady himself. _Confidence, Cohen_.

"Blair Waldorf, will you be my girlfriend?" Seth asked slowly and earnestly, looking deep into her eyes.

Blair looked up at him, then replied slyly, "I don't know if rock stars are really my type." Seth threw his arm around her, pretending to strangle her, then gave her a suffocating hug – his trademark. She pretended to wiggle out of his embrace, but laughed happily, proud of her new boyfriend's performance. Then, without a warning, Seth swept Blair up from behind her legs and picked her up with ease, causing her to let out a girly scream in protest. She felt wondrously light in Seth's arms, and he spun her around before putting her back onto her feet.

"How's that for a grand gesture?" he asked, as the band started to play their next song.


	17. Chapter 14 - The Dream Date

**A/N: I know you guys liked the fluff, but we can't have fluff for too long, right? A little bit of a curveball and some foreshadowing. Let me know what you guys think, and feel free to throw out some theories! It may be a while before I release the second half of this storyline in the next chapter, since I've been quite busy lately. As usual, thanks for the lovely feedback from my dear faithful readers!**

"Soooo what are we doing tonight?" Seth asked, sliding up to Blair as she was closing her locker.

"_I _am spending some girl time with Summer tonight, since I promised her a week ago that I would help her with her algebra, so _we_ aren't doing anything," Blair replied. She turned around to face her boyfriend, tiptoeing to greet him with a soft peck on his cheek.

Seth groaned. He was glad that Blair and Summer were getting along so well despite his history with the both of them, but he didn't really enjoy having to share his girlfriend all the time. He had been looking forward to spending a night in with Blair, just watching a movie – or three. "Blair, I swear last week it was you who was complaining about not having enough alone time," he pointed out with a slight pout.

Blair reached up and ruffled his hair affectionately. "Oh, _boyfriend_, don't be jealous. I promise I'll make it up to you this weekend," she teased, leaning in closer to him, her nose touching his ever-so-slightly. Seth also leaned in a little closer and wrapped his arms around her waist. Their lips were just about to meet when they were suddenly interrupted by the sound of Summer's voice right beside them.

"Ew," she complained, prompting the startled couple to take a step back, "get a room, you two!" She stepped in between the two of them and grabbed Blair by the arm. "So Waldorf, are we still on for tonight?"

Blair was looking longingly at Seth, but snapped out of it as soon as Summer approached her. She opened her eyes wide and plastered a smile on her face. "Summer!" she exclaimed in false excitement. "Uh…yes. My place at seven?"

"Sure. Ooooh! We can watch The Valley first, and study at the same time! Can't wait! Catch you later, B!" She waved casually at Blair then walked away, throwing one last disgusted look at Seth before she left.

Blair maintained her smile until Summer disappeared around the corner. "Did she just call me B? No one calls me B but Serena, and I am _not_ calling her S!" she seethed, still looking in Summer's direction.

"I thought you wanted to be nice to her," Seth reminded, though equally agitated by the way Summer had interrupted their little moment. He leaned against the locker, watching Blair's expression. "I know that look. What are you thinking, Blair?" he asked cautiously.

Blair turned to him, a small twinkle in her eye. "There's only one way to get rid of her, Seth," she started, a smile playing upon her lips.

"You want to cut her up to pieces and feed them to your neighbour's yappity Chihuahua?" Seth asked, wrinkling his nose.

Blair rolled her eyes at him. "No Seth, though I guess that _would_ kill two birds." She suddenly turned serious. "We're gonna find her a boyfriend," she announced dramatically.

Seth lifted an eyebrow doubtfully. "You really think it'll be that easy to find someone to replace me? I mean, I'm pretty hard to get over," he joked.

Blair hit him with her purse and laughed. "Shut up, Cohen! I mean it! It'll be the perfect way to get her off both our backs, and we'll have all the time in the world to spend with each other," she emphasized, smiling sweetly at him.

Seth couldn't help but return the smile, his dimple appearing deeply in his cheek. He held on to Blair's hand, and swung it from left to right as they spoke. "Yes, yes. You're right, as always. But it's Summer we're talking about. She isn't exactly the easiest girl to please."

"Is that yet another attempt to fish for a compliment? 'Cause your ego is getting so big I can hardly breathe in here," she teased matter-of-factly.

"Do _you_ have any suggestions?" Seth asked. They both leaned against the locker and observed the flock of boys that were making their way down Harbor's halls.

Blair watched as two boys walked past them, one of them dribbling a basketball. He had light brown hair, and thick eyebrows. Kind of reminded her of Nate, but more…sweaty. "This one? Sporty…nice face," Blair commented.

"…and a complete douche. He looks like he hasn't washed his hair in two months," Seth complained. Blair shrugged. The man had a point.

Seth suddenly nudged Blair with his elbow. "Oh oh ooooh! That one! He looks like the smart and sensitive type," he said as he nodded approvingly at a band member that walked past them with a French Horn in his hands. He had on thick-rimmed glasses and the tightest pants Blair had ever seen anyone wear – boy or girl.

"You cannot be serious," Blair replied with a disgusted look on her face. She scanned the hall for another suitable candidate. "That one over there?" she suggested, nodding in the direction of an Asian boy dressed in a yellow preppy sweater.

"Blair, my grandfather has that sweater." Seth looked over at Blair as she tried to hide her smirk. "I'd have to say you have the absolute worst taste in men," Seth answered, shaking his head.

"Which explains what I'm doing with you," she answered lightly. "What do you know about what girls want, anyway?"

Seth rewarded her with an adoring smile for her snarky comment, and Blair narrowed her eyes playfully at him. "I know what they _don't_ want, and that's Mr. Asian Sensation there who looks as if he's spent the last ten years of his life playing golf with the guy from The Price is Right," he retorted.

"Well, fine then," Blair conceded, "I hereby challenge you to a duel. One week. To find the most suitable date for Summer – one that _she_ would approve of and be happy with. You in?"

"A duel? Blair, you want to fight me…with swords and other advanced weaponry?" he joked.

"Is that fear I hear hidden behind your little Jewish sarcasm, Cohen?" Blair cooed at him.

Seth mimed an exaggerated laugh. "Oh you're going down, Waldorf. Don't cry to me when you realize that Seth Cohen is actually _the_ single most badass matchmaker in town. Might even go ahead and start my own business. Tell you what, Blair. To prove how non-scared I am of your little _challenge_, I will give you a head start and allow you to pick your man first to take Summer out on a date. Consider it my gift for you, because you're my girlfriend," he replied, crossing his arms.

"You're going to be sorry, Seth. No one wins a challenge like Blair Waldorf," she warned, walking away from him.

"We'll see about that," he called out behind her. Blair smiled victoriously to herself. She had no doubt that she would be able to find the most suitable guy for Summer. After all, all girls in Newport wanted a variation of the same thing – rich and handsome, smart and sensitive. Maybe not so much _smart_, for Summer, because let's be honest – her intelligence is not exactly her forte. She whistled to herself as she continued to keep her eyes peeled for the task, and made a mental note to assign her minions to go through the entire Harbor database and come up with a list of all the eligible bachelors by sundown. Just when she was about to dial Kelly's number, she was interrupted by a husky voice:

"Blair? How've you been?"

Blair looked up – way up – and saw Luke Ward staring down at her. He was wearing a sleeveless shirt which showed off his bulging biceps despite it being the middle of winter, and she had to admit that he was looking better than ever. He ran his hand through his dirty blonde hair, and she examined him closely while one of his friends passed by, punching him playfully on his arm.

_Hmm…rich, categorically handsome, impeccably sensitive…and as a bonus, definitely popular, _Blair thought. True, he may not be her type, but she knew that Luke was certainly considered a good catch in just about every other girl's eyes. As for the intelligence department – well, she had already established that it wouldn't be necessary for Summer, so why not?

"Luke!" she exclaimed brightly. "Just the boy I wanted to see!"

"Really?" Luke wondered aloud, looking surprised.

Blair didn't want to encourage him, but she had her mind set on him from the moment he magically appeared in front of her two minutes ago, and she took it as a sign of divine intervention. Besides, pairing Summer up with Luke would single-handedly resolve both of their residual feelings for Seth and Blair respectively, and would effectively displace them to a new, more appropriate, target. It was like killing ten birds with one stone. Blair smiled to herself in satisfaction.

"So Luke, are you free this Friday night?" Blair asked, batting her eyelashes at him innocently while they walked down the halls together.

* * *

Seth shifted uncomfortably in his seat. From the moment he learned that the "ideal date" Blair had chosen was Luke, he had known that this would be a horrible idea. But of course, when Blair Waldorf had her heart set on something, there was no telling her otherwise. He stabbed at his plate of salad grumpily.

"Seth, mind your manners," Blair said to him through her teeth. She knew that this wasn't the most desirable arrangement with her and Seth out on a double date with Luke and Summer, but she had chosen the fanciest, most exclusive restaurant in Newport, and was confident that if nothing else, the romantic ambience should put everyone on the right track. The truth was, Blair didn't know how else to get Summer to agree to go on a date with Luke without masking it as just a casual dinner with the two of them. She prayed for the best as the four of them picked at their salads awkwardly, no one making a sound. Blair decided to take action. "Soooo Luke, why don't you tell everyone about the new convertible your dad just got you, huh?" Blair prodded him, trying to make conversation.

"Um…I can't figure out how to drive stick, so he got me an automatic," Luke answered straightforwardly. Blair caught Summer rolling her eyes at him, and Luke continued to look at his plate uncomfortably. She felt bad for dragging him into this, especially while getting his hopes up by leading him to think that she wanted to have dinner with him alone, but convinced herself that it was all for a greater good. Unsure of what else to say, she nudged Seth sharply in the ribs. "Say something, Cohen!" she whispered at him.

"It's a competition!" he whispered back, both of them disappearing under the table. Blair shot him a menacing glare, which Seth ignored, and the both of them sat up straight again, rejoining the table. Summer was looking distractedly at the tables around them, as she realized that they were the only ones in the entire restaurant.

"Why is this place so empty? I thought it was a Michelin three-star," Summer asked curiously.

"It is," Blair chimed in, relieved that there was finally something to talk about, "I reserved the entire place for us tonight. I wanted a quiet and cozy environment for all of us to get to _know_ each other." Blair looked meaningfully at Summer and Luke, who shared an awkward glance. Summer looked away immediately, as if afraid to catch Luke's eyes. "_So_," Blair attempted again, "Summer, why don't you tell us about how you and Luke know each other?"

Summer made a face at her. "We hardly _do_. I only know him because he dated Coop for like, their entire prepubescent lives," she pointed out.

Oops. Blair hadn't considered that before deciding on the plan. She had only figured that Summer would at least find some redeeming qualities in Luke, since Blair had honestly begun seeing him in a new, much more favorable light right before Seth suddenly kissed her on the night of the school play. The thought of it sent a light blush to Blair's cheeks.

Luke observed Blair's reaction, and suddenly spoke up. "Well, I always thought you were a cool girl, even when I was dating Marissa," he offered, realizing what Blair was trying to do and attempting to be cooperative for her sake. He gave her a friendly smile, which made Summer smile back, after some hesitation.

"Thanks," she replied, "you too – I guess." They looked at each other and exchanged another small smile.

"GREAT!" Blair exclaimed a little too happily, clapping her hands together. "Shall we fetch the maître d' and ask for our entrees? You've got to try a bit of my Canard à la Rouennaise – it's simply _divine_," Blair gushed at Seth. She proceeded to wave the waiter over and conversed with him in fluent French.

Seth sank back into the chair. He always wondered why these fine dining places always had such uncomfortable seats, as if they were worried that sitting comfortably might give you bad posture. It's not that he never ate out at such fancy restaurants; being a Cohen, he was accustomed to being pulled along to having long, boring family gatherings at the most snobby and pretentious of places. Still, he found it unsettling that this was Blair's idea of a perfect date, looking perfectly content and right at home, while Seth wanted nothing more than to curl up on his couch and relax in front of his video games. He watched as Summer and Luke began to chat with one another, making small talk.

By the end of the night, it seemed that Summer and Luke were getting along just fine, and Luke had even managed to make Summer laugh out loud a few times. Granted, Seth thought Luke's jokes were merely a grade up from knock-knock jokes, but who was he to judge? He was just dying to get back home at this point and completely write the day off. Luke had kindly offered to drive Summer home, and Seth eagerly rushed back to his car to take Blair.

Blair was humming cheerfully to herself while Seth drove in silence. "Well I'd say that went rather well, wouldn't you?" she asked him, not waiting for an answer. "I just knew they would hit it off!"

"I wouldn't exactly say they _hit it off_," Seth remarked, "but sure, if you say so." He continued driving, not in the mood to elaborate. Blair watched him curiously, surprised at his sullen mood. It wasn't like Seth to be so quiet. Usually, he wouldn't stop talking even when she demanded for him to shut it.

"Does this have to do with the fact that you don't approve of Luke?" Blair suggested, slightly annoyed that Seth was being such a sore loser.

"It's not about that. Just – forget about it, okay?" Seth replied. He was trying to concentrate on the road, but something was upsetting him – something he couldn't quite put his finger on.

"Is it because you don't want Summer to start dating? Are you jealous, Cohen?" Blair asked, throwing out random theories now. She didn't like that he was acting so cold to her, especially when she was in such a good mood over the seemingly successful date.

"No, Blair! I said just leave it, okay?"

They drove the rest of the way in silence, and Seth opened the door for Blair as she got out of the car. Without turning back to look at him, Blair walked into her house and shut the door behind her. Seth got back into the driver's seat and sighed. He knew that Blair would inevitably be upset at him for a day or two after tonight, but he really wasn't in the mood to explain to her. Besides, he had no idea what he _would_ explain, even if he wanted to. It seemed that the evening had simply caused a wave of melancholy to wash over him, and he was left with an unsettling feeling at the pit of his stomach. _Maybe Blair was right_, he thought. Maybe he was just upset at the fact that he seemed to have lost after Summer and Luke's date, and was just nervous about the fact that he hadn't found any suitable candidates for her yet.

Feeling moody after the strange double date and his non-fight with Blair, Seth decided to drive out to the beach to get some fresh air. Just as he was stepping out onto his skateboard to ride towards the beach, he crashed head-on into a stranger dressed in a purple blazer and light pink shirt. Even under the low light, he could see how new and crisp his shirt looked. He stepped back, rubbing his head at the collision and taking some time to examine the other victim. The boy looked around his age, maybe one or two years older, though it was difficult to tell with all that hair gel and his strange attire. _Who wears purple blazers in Newport? _Seth wondered to himself.

"Are you alright? Sorry I didn't see you there," Seth explained, helping the stranger catch his balance.

The boy held out his arm, signaling that he was fine. Almost immediately, two extremely tall and skinny model lookalikes rushed up to him, each taking him by one arm. "I'm fine, ladies," he assured them, looking at them with an air of arrogance that Seth thought only appeared in movies like The Godfather. "You should check if this one is okay instead," he said, throwing his head in Seth's direction.

The girls obediently headed towards Seth instead, but he stopped them before they could touch him. "I'm fine, really. This happens to me all the time," Seth replied in attempt to lighten the mood. The stranger continued to stand at an awkwardly straight angle, examining his polished Berluti's for scratches. Just the sight of him radiated money – and not just the regular Newport kind. Seth knew at a glance that this guy was completely loaded. What's more, he was also a complete womanizer. He watched in awe as the supermodels approached him again, appearing to be wholly at his command. He glared at the two of them, then looked up at Seth, realizing that he was still there and was watching him intently.

"Is there a problem?" the stranger asked rather sharply.

Seth gulped loudly. "Well…no. Actually yes – I mean, no. Not a problem," Seth stuttered. He took a deep breath to gather his thoughts. "What I'm trying to say is, I was wondering whether you'd be interested in a date," he finally managed.

"A _date_?" the boy almost spat the words out. "You want to ask me out on a date? Sorry, but I don't think you're my _type_," he replied, looking slightly amused at this point.

"Oh, you thought I meant me? Oh, wow, um – no, although I now see how that question could have been grossly misinterpreted. But no, that – uh….no," he finally finished. The stranger looked at Seth impatiently. Seth drew in a deep breath and started again. "What I meant was, there's this really nice girl that I've been wanting to find a date for, and it would nice if you can take her out on a date. That is – if you're free," he explained.

"Interesting," the boy growled in a low voice, waving away his companions and leaning in closer towards Seth. "So tell me, if this girl is really so _nice_, why does she need _you_ to try to get her a date?"

Seth suddenly realized why he was so drawn to this stranger – he reminded him oddly of Batman, with his low whispers and the way he openly flashed his wealth and status. "She doesn't," he replied, seeing that he was pretty much trying to do the impossible. "It's kind of a bet that I made with my girlfriend, and we were both trying to find the best date for our friend. She found someone, and now it's my turn," Seth informed him unwillingly, realizing how utterly twisted and pathetic the whole thing sounded.

"Now it makes sense," the stranger replied.

"It does?" Seth didn't think it made any sense at all.

"Of course it does. You want to find the best of the best to beat your girlfriend, and you found me, who you assumed would be able to win this girl's heart since I'm obviously rich, charming, and have my way with all sorts of women," he replied cockily, giving him a sneer.

Seth didn't realize that anyone could speak with such an air of superiority, and wasn't sure whether he should feel humbled or disgusted by the size of this guy's ego. It wasn't usually his type, but he remembered Blair telling him that girls loved confidence – and this guy was sure as hell confident. "So, are you in?" he asked, half-hoping that he would say no.

"Sure, why not? I have a week to kill before flying back home anyway," he replied, holding out his hand.

"I'm Chuck Bass."


	18. Chapter 15 - The Summer Fling

**A/N: I hadn't received that many reviews for the chapter I wrote, plus I got a question about what Seth was really feeling, so I decided to push back my own work and continue the story instead, since as I've said, the last chapter was more like Part I of the incident only. I found it cool that many people struggled to guess why Seth was upset at the end of the double date. I hope this chapter clears things up for you! **

****Spoiler: This isn't the last we've seen of Chuck!**

"Hell-o Blair," Seth greeted Blair cheerfully at school on Monday morning. He walked up to her and gave her a warm bear hug, which she refused to return. It was their first time seeing each other since their double date, and Seth was slowly learning that Blair probably held the world record for holding a grudge. "Come on, Blair," he pleaded with her, "I already said sorry. Give me a smile…please?"

Blair pouted and crossed her arms. "Calling me two hours after pissing me off to tell me that you were quiet because you were in a bad mood _doesn't_ count as apologizing," she pointed out. She was glad that he was making an effort with her, which at least showed that his sour mood wasn't due to any unresolved feelings for Summer. Nevertheless, Blair still couldn't get him to come clean about what had been bothering him, and that bothered _her_.

"I'm a Cohen. I'm insecure and neurotic and very, very sensitive. Bad moods happen. Let's not talk about it anymore, okay?" he grabbed her by the shoulders and made her face him. "I want to talk about Summer's next exciting date." He waited in anticipation for Blair's reaction. He had kept Chuck a secret for almost two whole days, and was dying to tell her all about him.

"What date? She had fun with Luke. She doesn't _need_ another date. I won," Blair shot back defensively.

"Now there, Blair, that's not fair. We made a deal. You said we would both get to choose a guy, and we would compete as to who would find the perfect guy for her. Well it just so happens that I have found _the_ most perfect guy for Summer. In fact," Seth added, walking behind Blair and putting his hands on her petite shoulders, "if you didn't already have the fantastical Seth Cohen as your boyfriend, I would be worried that even _you_ may want a piece of him."

Blair rolled her eyes. "Doubt it. Your taste revolves around band geeks and Comic-Con groupies, and I hardly call those 'perfect guys'. But as you wish. Not gonna stop you if you want to embarrass yourself with your bad taste," she replied, finally giving him a smile, albeit a smug one.

"Very well, Blair," Seth said, bowing low and taking her hand, "we shall see. Tonight then, after school?"

Blair wrinkled her eyebrows. "So soon? Why the rush?" she asked.

"My man is a very busy fella….businesses to run, flights to catch…you know, that sort of thing," Seth replied nonchalantly.

Blair snorted. "What is he, like 30?"

"You'll see for yourself tonight, princess," Seth said to her as he kissed her forehead. He left Blair standing there in the halls, curious as to what Seth had up his sleeve and why he suddenly seemed so confident.

Seth tapped his foot nervously as he waved at Summer and Blair, who were walking towards him. He had gotten off school extra early so he could plan out the details of their date to perfection. After the excruciatingly boring double date he had with Blair a few days ago, Seth wanted to make sure that the one he organized would be a fun-filled and _different_ experience. He waved at them.

"Hello Blair, Summer," Seth greeted them, pressing his hands together. He scanned the area for a sign of Chuck, but he was nowhere to be seen. Seth suddenly felt a rush of panic through his veins. What if he had changed his mind? What if he had only agreed to the date in order to get Seth to stop bothering him? He was just about to make up an excuse when, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Chuck Bass, strolling towards them casually with his hands in his pockets. In the daylight, Chuck looked even flashier than Seth had remembered, dressed in a light blue blazer with a mint green tee and a pair of white khakis.

Seth ran up to meet Chuck halfway, reminding himself to stay cool. "Yo! Charles! What's going on, man?" Seth reached out for a high five, waiting for Chuck's hand to meet his.

Chuck gave him a blank stare and acted as if he hadn't said anything at all. "Where're the girls?" he purred out. Seth spun around immediately, walking Chuck towards Blair and Summer.

"This is my girlfriend, Blair, and this is our good friend, _Summer_," Seth introduced to Chuck. He threw Blair a smug look, but noticed that his girlfriend had turned a shade of pale green, matching the color of Chuck's shirt. She stood there with the strangest expression on her face, not saying a word, simply staring at Chuck. Seth observed Blair's peculiar reaction, then looked over at Chuck, who also appeared stupefied himself. Even Summer was watching the two of them curiously, unsure of what to say to break the ice.

Seth walked up to Blair, supporting her by the arm. She looked as if she was ready to pass out. "Blair, are you alright?" he asked in a concerned voice. "Are you sick? Do you want me to take you home?"

Blair looked up at him, and then back at Chuck Bass. The sight of him made her dizzy with fear, and it was everything she could do not to hurl right then and there on the spot. She prayed that Chuck wouldn't treat this gathering as a sort of sick reunion, but she could tell from his expression that he was just as surprised as she was. She forced a weak smile at Seth. "So this is the nice man you were telling me about?" She stuck out her hand towards him. "I'm Blair Waldorf. Charmed," she said with a meaningful look.

Chuck hesitated and stared at her intently, like a hawk waiting to swoop up on his prey. Blair could feel the electric shock through his protruding gaze, and felt herself breaking out in cold sweat. _Co-operate_, she mentally barked at him. After what seemed like an eternity, Chuck finally relaxed his shoulders and took her hand in response. He bent low, giving it a soft kiss. Out of reflex, Blair wanted to pull back from his lips, but with Seth only a foot away and looking terribly baffled, she willed herself to stay put.

"The pleasure is all mine, Ms. Waldorf," he said in a voice just above a whisper, his eyes never leaving hers. She felt completely violated and naked under his eyes. "Say, you remind me of a friend back home," Chuck said to her with a sinister smile. Blair shivered slightly, feeling as if she was staring into the eyes of the devil.

"Really?" Seth said suddenly, stepping in and swooping up Blair's hand protectively. "She must have been pretty darn wonderful then," he continued, giving Blair a gentle smile. Blair smiled back at him in return, reaping a bit of comfort from Seth's touch.

"Ahem," Summer coughed, trying to draw their attention, "I thought you had this amazing day all planned out for us, Cohen? Or is this hour-long introduction your idea of a good time?" She crossed her arms and rolled her eyes in disgust.

"Ah, I detect a bit of impatience from our friend here," Chuck declared, taking a step towards Summer. He held out his hand, waiting for Summer to take it. "Forgive me for being so rude. You must be the sassy and beautiful friend Seth was telling me about." Chuck flashed her his million-dollar smile and peered down at her.

Summer gave him a small smile and took his hand. The four of them stood there awkwardly, in a perfect square, as Summer looked awkwardly from left to right. She finally jabbed Seth in the ribs.

"Ow! Uh…right!" Seth suddenly remembered that they had a whole day planned ahead of them. "Let's not waste any more time. I present to you all one of the most sacred landmarks of Newport," he stepped away dramatically and motioned to the sign above him. "Ta-da! Centurion Comics!" He nodded approvingly at the selection of comics that was on display in the shop windows, proud of his choice.

"_This_?" Blair practically spat out. "This is the place you've been raving about nonstop all day today? Seth, don't tell me you're taking us all to a comic book store for a date," she squirmed and blushed a little when she caught Chuck's taunting smile. Blair could just imagine Chuck laughing at Seth's immaturity. She knew she shouldn't let him get to her, but the thought of it made her want to dig up a hole and bury herself. She didn't know who she felt more embarrassed for at the moment – Seth or herself.

"What do you mean, Blair? You have no idea what gems are hidden in this place. This is probably the single most romantic place in all of Newport. Just give me one hour so I can give you my Seth Cohen deluxe tour – you won't regret it," he said, winking at her.

"Blair, I must congratulate you on your impeccable taste in men. Seth seems like such an _interesting_ catch," Chuck said in an exaggeratedly earnest voice that made Blair cringe.

Seth seemed completely oblivious to the backhanded compliment. "Awww…thanks Chuck. See, Blair? At least _someone_ here knows how to appreciate me," he joked.

Blair glared at Chuck. She wasn't going to let him have the upper hand for long. She just needed to find the right timing to get to him alone so she could confront him and get him off her case – permanently. She turned to face Seth. "Fine then, enlighten me with your cartoon heroes," she replied abruptly, shoving Seth inside the store.

"They're not cartoons, Blair. They're called comics. Manga, in Japanese. And don't underestimate this place – some of the greatest love stories of our time can be found in this little shop." He walked through the glass doors, holding the door open for the rest of them. The three of them looked around unenthusiastically while Seth leapt ahead of them, scanning through the bookshelves. He quickly grabbed one of the comics from a lower shelf, flashing the cover at them and pointing to it excitedly.

"This one! This – this has got to be one of the most romantic, epic, love stories _ever,_" he exclaimed, flipping through the pages to try to show Blair, Summer and Chuck.

"More epic than Titantic?" Summer asked sarcastically.

"Wrong. More epic than Romeo and Juliet," Seth shot back, unfazed at Summer's comment. "Romeo and Juliet lasted 3 days. So did Rose and…whatever the hell Leonardo's name was in Titantic." He spread open the pages of the comics, revealing a panel showing the Fantastic Four. "_These_ two, however, have been in love and dedicated to each other for almost 45 _years_. Meet Mr. Fantastic and Invisible Woman."

"What kind of name is Mr. Fantastic? It sounds like a name some cleaning agent would have," Blair remarked. Summer snickered behind her. Seth threw his hands up in exasperation.

"Really, girls? You haven't heard of Mr. Fantastic?" He looked over at Chuck. "A little help here please from the boys?"

Chuck shrugged. "Sorry, can't say I can help. The only reading I do are ones that teach me about female biology, if you know what I mean," he commented, smirking at the girls. They both rolled their eyes in disgust, and even Seth frowned in response.

"Uh…okay, a little too much information. So none of you have ever read any comic books?" Seth wondered aloud. He felt like he was trying to strike up a conversation with people from the Stone Age.

"Do Archie comics count?" Summer asked. "I used to read those when I was younger."

"Me too. Always thought Archie should have picked Veronica," Blair responded. Summer nodded vigorously in agreement and gave Blair a high five.

Seth ran his fingers through his hair. "Um…okay fine, I can work with that. Next then, is one that you may be a little more familiar with," he started, leaving the aisle and placing the Fantastic Four comic back into the shelves. The other three trudged along behind him unwillingly. He ran his fingers through a mass of books, until finally picking up an issue of Spiderman. "Tell me you know this one."

"Spiderman? Really? How could any guy climbing buildings and dressed in red and blue tights like a total freak be considered romantic?" Blair questioned. She was feeling more impatient by the minute, and she still couldn't believe Seth had dragged all of them here – including Chuck Bass – just to hear him obsess over a bunch of men in Spandex. She watched Chuck from the corner of her eye as he leaned casually over a shelf containing the X-Men comics. He was checking Summer out from behind, like his usual self. Blair chewed her lip thoughtfully, wondering how she could get him alone.

"That just goes to show how little you know about our little Spidey," Seth went on to explain. He flipped through the comic, showing the drawings to Summer, who was looking a little curious in spite of herself. "Peter Parker and Mary Jane have one of the most angsty relationships in all of comic book history. You see, Peter's this introverted, shy boy who's kind of you know, scared of girls, and MJ is like this sexy, gutsy vixen that totally wows him. She loves him, but she can't ever make up her mind about whether or not she's ready to stay with him for good. It's really deep stuff," he insisted, throwing the pages towards Summer to get her to go through the material.

"I don't get why the girls in comics never get their own storylines except for being a love interest for one of the guys. Can't girls be badasses on their own? The only girl superheroes I know who aren't all caught up with love are like, the Powerpuff Girls," Summer complained, leafing through the pages.

"Be careful with that," Seth snapped at her, snatching it from her hands. "And the Powerpuff Girls aren't even considered real superheroes -"

Seeing that this conversation would probably last for at least another ten minutes or so, Blair decided to take the golden opportunity to reach out to Chuck. She shot him a look and tipped her head subtly to the direction of the door, signaling for him to go after her. Checking to see whether Seth had noticed, Blair slowly slid out the glass doors, inhaling a deep breath of fresh air as she stepped away from the ensemble. Chuck appeared two seconds after, closing the door softly behind him.

"Sneaking around behind your boyfriend's back to meet me. This reminds me of old times, Blair," Chuck commented in an amused voice. He reached out to touch her, only to be slapped away violently by Blair.

"Shut up, you Basshole! Don't think that I'm not onto you. What are you doing here, anyway? Aren't you supposed to be in school?" Blair demanded. She knew she didn't have much time to make small talk, and that she needed to get rid of him as soon as possible before Seth figured out what was going on.

"Please, Blair. School is for peasants. I have people who are taking care of that for me," he responded, checking his reflection through the glass. Seth and Summer were still engaged in a heated debate inside the store, and had not seemed to notice that they were missing. "Now, I'm going to be the one asking the questions. Is this your way of punishing yourself for what you did with me and Nate? Settling with _this_ guy? Blair, I know I compared you to one of my dad's horses, but even _they_ would know better than to date this spastic loser."

"I will not let you speak that way about my boyfriend!" Blair spoke up defensively as she balled her fists. "You don't get to judge him. You have no idea just how wonderful he has been. You're just jealous because you're never going to be able to find love, the way I did."

"Oh. So you _love_ this guy?" Chuck asked with a laugh. He leaned towards her as he waited for her reply.

"I didn't say that." Blair looked away and hesitated for a moment. "Not that I don't. Or I do. I don't know. The point is, whatever it is I feel for him – that's none of your business. I just need you to leave me – leave _us_ alone." Blair's voice sounded firm and cold, but she had a pleading, desperate look in her eyes.

"He doesn't know about what happened on the Upper East Side, does he," Chuck finally guessed. It exhilarated him to see Blair so afraid, but at the same time, it reminded him of just how special Blair Waldorf was – so very strong, yet equally vulnerable.

Blair finally softened up, and her tough façade melted away instantaneously. "Please, Chuck. I'm asking you nicely. Please don't tell him. He'll never see me the same way again – he thinks I'm…perfect," Blair explained in a small voice.

"Of course. You think you've found your happy ending, and now you want to live in denial and pretend nothing ever happened," Chuck affirmed. "But you can't. One of these days, it's all going to catch up to you. Even if I _did_ promise not to say anything…you can't hide from who you truly are, Blair. You know it deep inside your heart. That's what made you and me so good together – we're both so dark and twisted. He's going to see through all of this one day and realize just who you really are."

Blair fell completely silent. She wanted to protest, to refute everything Chuck had just said, and to explain to him that she was no longer the same girl. But she couldn't. Part of her was so afraid that he was actually right. _He'd never want to be with that version of me_, Blair thought to herself. She watched through the window as Seth continued chattering intensely about his comic book heroes, and she realized for the first time just how wrong it all looked.

"I'll go, Blair, if that's what you want. But remember, you are who you are. You can't run away forever." With that, Chuck turned on his heels and left her there, standing alone as the sun began to set. She wrapped her arms around herself and shivered. She knew she was supposed to feel relieved at the fact that Chuck was finally gone, but all she felt was dread. She was so lost in her own thoughts that she didn't even notice when Seth and Summer came out of the store to meet her.

"Blair? What are you doing alone outside? And where's Chuck? We were looking for you two," Seth asked, looking slightly annoyed. He had only gotten onto his third epic love story when he realized he only had one audience left.

"I needed some fresh air from all those dusty comic books," Blair replied, without looking at Seth. She was still feeling uncomfortable from what Chuck had said to her.

"I guess your new friend took off," Summer cut in. "So much for the best date ever," she said to Seth.

Seth and Blair shared an awkward glance. Blair was so distracted by her own drama that she had totally forgotten about Summer's feelings.

"Look, guys, I know what you two are trying to do. And you can just quit it, okay? I understand that you just want me to find someone so I won't feel like the fifth wheel all the time, but I like being by myself. It's like what I said about all those comic books – why can't a woman just be happy and powerful on her own, without a man? Does every teenage girl have to have a boyfriend to be complete?" Summer ranted on, gaining momentum at her own speech.

"Of course not," Blair answered quickly. In fact, she admired Summer for her independence. God knows Blair hadn't even been able to go two weeks without complicating her life with another man. She gave Summer a hug for moral support. "I think it's totally cool that you'd rather be alone. I respect that," she told her honestly.

"Alright then, I'm gonna head out and enjoy the rest of my date, _alone,_" Summer said to them. "You two have fun with the comics!" She waved at the both of them then walked away, leaving just Blair and Seth alone standing in front of the store.

"So what was that all about?" Seth finally asked after Summer disappeared from their field of vision.

Blair's heart almost stopped beating. "What was what?" she asked as innocently as possible.

"That. You just walked out on me and Summer and left us there. You could have told me you were going out, you know," Seth pointed out, visibly annoyed.

"Well you know comics isn't my _thing_," Blair answered. "Besides, you two seemed perfectly content and engrossed in your conversation, so I didn't want to interrupt." She knew it was unfair to shift the guilt back to him, but in Blair's experience, it was the most effective way.

"Yeah, I noticed." Seth kept silent for a moment before he allowed himself to speak again. "You know what else I noticed? How nothing that is my _thing_ seems to be your thing. I spent the entire Friday night sitting there, bored out of my mind, eating bite-sized French food. That's your idea of a perfect date – classy restaurant, foie gras, and a bunch of old men playing classical music on their violins. But that's not me. I can't give you any of that. It's not who I am."

"I didn't even _have _foie gras that night," Blair mumbled under her breath.

"Fine. Who cares! My point is, your idea of a perfect date totally sucks, in my opinion, but I still sat through it for you. It would have been nice of you to do the same for me, too," Seth finished. He knew he was going a bit overboard, but Blair's behavior had made him realize what had been bothering him so much all of Friday night – it was the sneaking suspicion that him and Blair were just not right for each other. And today's disaster just further confirmed that theory. He looked away from her.

"I'm not going to apologize for not liking comic books," Blair insisted, refusing to come out from her sour mood.

"Alright. Then I'm not going to apologize either," Seth replied, just as firmly.

"Fine."

"Fine."

They looked at each other, and Seth briefly wondered how things had managed to get so bad all of a sudden, only a week after his very public confession of his feelings for her at the Bait Shop. Blair continued to cross her arms and look away, and they stood there for another good fifteen minutes, before Seth finally walked away.

Blair watched him as he walked away from her, leaving her standing alone in the cool evening air. It was as if Chuck had cursed them both, and had made it impossible for Blair to ever find happiness again. She sat down on a bench nearby, wondering what the future would bring.


	19. Chapter 16 - The Understanding

**A/N: Sorry for the looooong hiatus! It's the longest it's been, but I'm sorry to say that updates will be less frequent these days, since it's getting a little crazy at work. But the story is still going strong, and I still have plenty of chapters planned out for Seth and Blair, so stay tuned for updates. **

**Also, I wanted to make it clear that I will not keep throwing things at the duo to try to keep them apart, and will not force them to continue going back and forth without any developments to their relationship. It was one of the things I really hated about how GG writers had handled Chuck and Blair's relationship, so I promise you that it's not what I'm doing here. Rest assured that the two will get some good moments together before the next bomb drops. Until then, enjoy it while it lasts! Another big Dair reference in this one for the fans!**

Blair waited impatiently in her bedroom, hastily flipping through her W magazine. It had been a week since Chuck had made his appearance in Newport, and it seemed safe to say that he was gone for good. The wreckage he made, however, was a different story. Seeing Seth at school still made for some awkward times, and they barely spoke to each other outside of necessary conversations during drama class. She briefly contemplated about calling him to end the cold war, but didn't like the idea that she'd be the one to give in so early on in the relationship. After all, it was _him_ who blew a huge hissy fit after Blair told him she didn't like his comic books. She was just being honest. Blair threw the magazine aside and rested her chin in her hands, feeling bored.

Just as her thoughts began drifting towards the idea of calling Seth again, the doorbell rang. Blair eagerly raced down the stairs, waiting for Dorota to open the front door.

"Serena!" Blair called out, rushing to meet her best friend. Serena van der Woodsen stepped through Blair's door, revealing her long, slender legs. Blair's chauffeur could be seen behind her, hauling her suitcase. "Thank you. We'll take it from here," she said to him, handing him a small tip. She hardly had a use for a chauffeur these days in Newport, but he still came in handy every once in a while. Dorota closed the door behind Serena, while Blair took a step back to examine her from head to toe. Serena squealed and swept Blair up in a long, warm hug.

"Gosh, it's been forever, B!" Serena said, finally letting go of Blair. "I still can't believe you went back to Newport without letting me know last time! We were supposed to spend the weekend together." Serena reached out to touch Blair's hair affectionately.

"Well yeah…I told you I had something urgent to take care of," Blair explained, half-avoiding her glance. The truth was, Blair still hadn't really told Serena about her and Seth. As close as they were, she didn't feel comfortable revealing to her that she had somehow fallen for a total dork. And, since they weren't exactly on speaking terms at the moment anyway, there was nothing to tell. She wrinkled her nose as she looked down at Serena's suitcase. "I thought you were only here for a week – how much did you pack, anyway?"

"Well…since I couldn't convince you to come back to New York for Spring Break, I thought I'd bring New York to you!" Serena dropped down to her knees and unzipped her luggage. "Let's see…I got macarons from Ladurée, an off-menu burger from Gramercy Tavern – sorry if it looks a little rough, hard to find anything that would keep for the flight – red velvet cupcakes from Two Little Red Hens, and some Manet art prints from the Met. I know they're not even close to the real thing, and you prefer canvas, but I thought being around them might cheer you up a little," she told Blair, smiling up at her amongst her pile of gifts.

Blair rustled through the goodies eagerly. "Did you also happen to bring back the entire Bendel's, too?" Blair asked with pleading eyes.

Serena laughed. "Well, I did get you _these_," she replied, pulling out a pair of Chopard sunglasses. "Thought you'd be needing them in this sort of weather."

The girls took turns modeling the shades and spent the entire afternoon catching up. Serena told her all about the latest gossip on the UES, while Blair listened attentively. Blair was so lost in their conversation that she had almost forgotten about her own drama with Seth and Chuck. Just when Blair was about to suggest going out for dinner, Dorota appeared in the living room where Serena and Blair sat – with Seth Cohen standing behind her. He kept his eyes low, shuffling his feet.

"Miss Blair, I was just going outside to take out trash, and I see Mr. Seth lurking, look suspicious," Dorota explained, "so I ask him come inside. Maybe you two talk and I go clean Miss Blair room." Dorota nodded at Blair and dismissed herself, retreating out of the living room and watching Seth from the corner of her eye.

After an uncomfortable three minutes, Seth finally spoke. "Well, it looks like you're busy with your friend, Blair, so I'll just talk to you another time." He turned on his heels and headed for Blair's door.

"No – stay. It's fine. We were just about to go out for dinner," Serena offered, observing that something had probably gone on between this awkward boy and her best friend. "Blair, why don't you get ready? We can wait for you here while you get dressed."

Blair hesitated, not really knowing how to respond. On one hand, she had wanted to be honest with Serena and to tell her all about her new romance with Seth, but on the other hand, she still had unfinished business with him, and didn't want to spoil her evening with Serena by having to put up with his whininess. She frowned and kept silent, staying exactly where she was.

"Okaaay then, I guess I'll take that as a no," Seth replied, giving Serena a small wave. "It was nice meeting you finally, Serena."

Serena watched for Blair's reaction, refusing to give up. "What did you say your name was?" she asked him with a friendly smile. "I don't think we've formally met before."

It was now Seth's turn to watch Blair, realizing that his name has never come up before in the topic of their discussions. He was unsure whether to laugh or to cry, and cursed himself silently for being so stupid as to show up at her house, uninvited. "I'm Seth – Seth Cohen. It's fine that you don't know me. Nobody knows me. I'm – _was_ – Blair's –"

" – friend. He's my friend," Blair cut in, finishing his sentence for him. She avoided his deep, penetrating brown eyes, and refused to acknowledge the look of hurt on his face.

"Right. I'm Blair's _friend_," Seth repeated bitterly, looking away.

Serena watched the two of them tentatively, slowly getting up. "I'm sure you've been taking good care of Blair. She's not exactly the easiest person to get along with." Blair glared at her.

Seth nodded a few more times, then waved at them again. This time, he turned away without allowing himself to look back at Blair, and headed straight for her door. Blair and Serena heard the door slam behind him moments later.

"So, are you gonna tell me what's going on?" Serena asked slowly.

Blair gave Serena her best devil-may-care look, and plopped herself on the loveseat. "I have no idea what you're talking about," she responded lightly, pretending to examine her nails as if they were the most interesting things on the planet.

Serena went to sit beside her. "I'm not blind, you know," she pointed out, turning to face Blair, "why did you call him your friend when he clearly isn't?"

Blair turned sharply towards her and met her gaze. "You're right. Seth Cohen is not my friend. In fact, he's just an acquaintance. Now why would someone like _me_ have anything to do with someone like _him_?" Blair blinked quickly at Serena, as if challenging her to answer.

"Give me a break, Blair. I didn't fly all the way here so you could lie to me. I can spot out your denial from a mile away. You like him. The question is, what was _that_ for?" Serena leaned towards her friend, concerned.

With Serena's honest submission, Blair could no longer contain herself. She collapsed, her head in her hands. "Oh S, I've really screwed things up now!" she cried, rolling back her eyes. "It's not that I didn't want to tell you, it's just that I don't know what to tell! We were great for like, two weeks, and then suddenly _Chuck_ shows up -"

"Wait a minute…Chuck!?" Serena stopped Blair in mid-sentence, confused.

"Yes, Chuck. As in, _Chuck_ Chuck. Anyway, he shows up and now I'm confused, and I don't know what's going to happen between us now," Blair explained, sighing heavily.

"Oh Blair," Serena shook her head at her, "I thought you were over that."

"Oh _God_, no. It's not because I have _feelings_ for that Basshole, it's just that…well, seeing him just made me remember who I was – who I _am_," Blair said emphatically. "He may be a total ass, but what he said was right. I'll never be able to change who I am, and the person I am is lightyears away from who Seth is."

"And who's that? What makes you think that you two won't be able to work it out?"

Blair looked at Serena seriously, trying to collect her thoughts. "Seth – he's…he's just _Seth_. He's this comic book geek that likes to spend time skateboarding and listening to emo music and gives anecdotes about his Bar Mitzvah. We are just so different in every possible way. Every time I tell myself to give it a try, something else comes up to prove to me that it just wasn't meant to be. It's like God is trying to punish me for my past sins or something."

"So what drew you to him in the first place, if you guys are really so different?" Serena asked tactfully.

Blair bit her lip thoughtfully. "Well, he has this sarcastic, self-depreciating humor that's _sort_ of funny, I guess, but not really. And he does this thing where he annoys the hell out of you until he gets what he wants. _And_ he whines like a baby girl and can't seem to make up his mind about anything."

"Uh-huh," Serena answered, amused and holding back a smile.

"But I guess he's also kind, sweet, and sensitive. He listens to me when I talk, and respects me – and I don't think I've ever felt that from a guy before. He looks at me as if I'm the only girl on the planet, and when I'm with him…I'm just _happy_. Am I even making any sense right now?"

"And you're just going to let him get away?"

"It's not up to me to control! Look, he couldn't get over the fact that I'm not into comic books. What's he going to think when he realizes I play sex games as a pastime after school?" Blair argued. She was feeling more convinced by the minute that she had made the right choice to let him go.

"I think you can give yourself a little more credit than that, B," Serena assured her, holding Blair by the shoulders.

"Can I, Serena? Are you telling me that you never wonder how Dan would see you if he knew all about your past? As in, _every little thing_? You may be able to tell yourself that it doesn't matter, but I know for a fact that it does. Dan…Seth…they're all the same. The moment he finds out that I'm not who he thought I was, he'd be gone in a heartbeat. It's just not worth it," she said pointedly. Blair knew that dragging Dan into this would be the perfect way to shut Serena up once and for all.

And she was right. Serena collapsed beside her, her blonde hair sprawled over the headrest. She stayed silent, as if contemplating her own future. They spent the rest of the night together in a subdued mood, making small talk and purposely avoiding the topic of boys altogether. Blair had wanted to apologize to Serena a couple of times both during and after dinner, but she wasn't sure how to bring the topic back up without stirring up her own mixed emotions as well. The truth was, Blair had no idea how to handle things with Seth, and was in a complete mess over the whole conundrum. Finally, it was Serena who spoke up, just as Blair was about to call it a night and return to her bedroom.

"You know B, I don't know Seth and I can't say what his reaction would be when he gets to know you. I'd also be lying if I said that I never worry about Dan judging me, or that we always get along, despite our differences," Serena confided. She paused to observe Blair's expression.

"Point being?" Blair asked, seemingly disinterested.

Serena cleared her throat, ignoring her harsh tone. She knew how Blair got when she felt uncomfortable, and decided not to hold it against her. "What I'm saying is, I can't predict the future with Dan. And neither can you, with Seth. But all I know is that Dan makes me happy, and when I'm with him, I want to be a better person. I just think that if Seth could have that kind of power on you, it'd be a shame to let that slip away."

Blair softened her expression. "You really think there's a chance for us? I mean, despite everything? You really think someone could still love me after who I've become?"

"I don't know what Chuck said to you to make you see yourself as some sort of monster. But I'm sure that if Seth really cared about you, he would see you and accept you for who you are right now – both the bright and the dark sides. There's more to Blair Waldorf than just your past," Serena told her tenderly.

Blair looked up at her best friend apologetically. She knew she had been cruel to Serena, and undeservingly so. "And Dan Humphrey would be blind if he didn't love you for who you are, too," Blair responded, giving her a small smile. She reached up to give Serena a hug, and the two friends embraced each other for a few minutes before Serena finally let go.

"Do you want me to stay with you tonight, keep you company?" she offered. "I could bring my stuff over from the guest room and we can just stay in your bed and talk."

Blair took a deep breath. "No, I'm fine. Thanks for worrying about me, but I think I'm going to need some time alone to figure out what I'm going to do about Seth. I don't think he's going to want to talk to me after the way I just treated him."

"He'll get used to it," Serena assured Blair. "It's the famous Blair Waldorf treatment – completely hot and cold, and completely out of love. I'm sure you two will be able to figure things out. Just be brave!" Blair smiled at Serena, grateful that she had someone in her life who understood her so well and stuck by her through thick and thin.

Blair had just settled down in her room for a couple of minutes when she heard a strange noise outside her window. She scrambled to get hold of some sort of weapon in her room, anything to defend herself against whatever it was that was making the loud banging sound. She managed to grab hold of her lamp as she waited for the dark figure to make his way towards her open window. Blair was just about to whack him when she realized that it was Seth, covered in a black hoodie, and struggling to keep his grip on the windowsill. Blair stared at him in shock, still holding her lamp for protection.

"Um, a little help would nice here, Blair," Seth uttered, panting loudly. Blair put down her lamp and held Seth by his scrawny arms, dragging his body through the window. He fell face down onto her bedroom floor, knocking over everything that was on her desk.

"What on earth are you doing here?" Blair demanded, shutting her window as Seth slowly got back on his feet. "And haven't you heard of a _door_?" She crossed her arms as Seth examined himself for injuries.

"I almost died out there trying to get to you, so it would be nice for you to show some concern," Seth snapped back grumpily.

Blair rolled her eyes at him. "Please. If you're going to sneak in through some girl's window, the least you can do is _not_ blame your lack of athletic abilities on her," she remarked lightly. She stood there, ready as ever for another round of banter, but Seth had other things on his mind.

"Look Blair, I crawled through your window because I wanted to catch you alone. I know how you get when other people are around, so I'm just going to ignore everything you said in front of Serena today – even though I'd like to point out that you _kind_ of hurt my feelings," he said, appearing indignant.

"And is that all you came to say?" Blair asked in a soft voice, wondering what his next move would be.

"No Blair, that's not what I came here to say." Seth took a deep breath before looking right at her. "I came here to tell you that I know what's been going on – why you ran away from me that day at the comic book store."

Blair's heart sank. "You _do_?" _He's going to break up with me, _Blair thought, panicking. _He's going to tell me he knows all about Chuck and my past and how disgusting I am, and he's – _Blair couldn't finish her thoughts before Seth spoke again.

"Yeah well it's not surprising that you feel that way, especially when it was the first time I ever brought you to Centurion. I know comics can be a bit overwhelming, especially for a beginner, and I know you must think after that date that we couldn't possibly be any more different from each other," Seth explained, looking away briefly. He paused, waiting for Blair to respond.

_Well, at least he got one thing right_, Blair thought with relief. She looked up at him, her clear brown eyes full of questions. "So, what are we going to do?"

"_We_," Seth said, taking a step towards Blair and taking her hands in his, "are going to deal with this together. I know that I'm not one of those fancy, charming guys that you're used to on the Upper East Side, nor do I have Hercules-like biceps and abs of steel like the ones in Newport. But I really, _really_ like you Blair, and I think I can make you happy. And I will keep doing so until you tell me to my face that you don't feel the same. I'm not giving up on us – not yet. Not until you give me a chance to show you who I really am, and that I can be the kind of guy you want me to be."

Blair's eyes welled up with tears at his moving speech, but she quickly wiped them away, out of reflex. "What happened to the Seth Cohen that stood up to me at Harbor? I thought he said that I had to take him as he was, or have nothing at all," she challenged him.

Seth didn't flinch at her reply. "That Seth Cohen is _here_, standing in front of you, telling his _girlfriend_ that he is not moving until she gives him a chance to show her what he's made of," he told her.

Blair felt butterflies fluttering in her stomach. It was everything she could do not to grab him and shove her tongue down his throat right then and there. "Are we really going to stand here talking about ourselves in third and fourth person?" Blair teased.

"No," Seth said, stepping away. Blair looked at him curiously, as he pulled out a large, black folder from his backpack. Blair sat on the floor, her legs tucked under her, as she waited to see what it was that Seth was holding in his hands. Seth opened the folder to reveal a series of sketches, expertly made, of a beautiful, elegant brunette dressed in a vintage superhero costume, and with a headband. She gasped as she flipped through the pages, realizing that Seth had drawn out their entire storyline, from the moment they first met, to their second big kiss at Harbor.

"This is incredible," she breathed, unable to look away from the drawings. "How long did this take you?"

Seth smiled sheepishly. "Not long, considering I've been drawing them pretty much since…you know, the beginning," he replied, feeling glad that Blair seemed engrossed in his artwork.

Blair looked up at him. "Even when you were with Summer?" she asked, surprised.

"Yeah well, it's not every day that a pretty little stranger comes in from New York and bosses you around, terrorizing the entire school in a headband," he joked, reaching out to touch her hair affectionately. His touch sent shivers down Blair's spine.

"What are her special powers?" Blair questioned, widening her eyes in wonder. She couldn't believe that he had made her a heroine in a graphic novel, of all things. And more so – that she was _delighted _by it. She laughed to herself as she read the recaps of their previous conversations.

"Well, she uses her powers of manipulation and mind-numbing intelligence to shock her adversaries into obedience, then attacks them with her literary prowess."

Blair raised an eyebrow at him, and Seth laughed.

"I'm kidding – she stops time at her will and makes everything freeze around her to stun her opponents," he said gently, taking her by the hand again and looking her in the eye meaningfully. "Because that's how you make me feel when I'm around you. Like time stops." Seth leaned in to kiss her gently on the lips, and Blair returned it eagerly, allowing herself to melt into him. She couldn't believe that she had ever doubted his feelings for her, even for a second. They stayed there, sitting on Blair's floor, holding each other with their lips locked together passionately, as if making up for lost time.

After ten minutes, Seth finally pulled away from her. "There's more," he explained, taking out a bundle of CDs and DVDs, plus a book, out of his backpack. "I present to you the Seth Cohen Starter Pack."

Blair wrinkled her nose and she took the package from Seth's hands, examining its contents. "What is this? The Goonies…Bright Eyes…The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay – well, I'd have to say that _most_ of your taste is pretty good. Except for The Goonies. Not really a fan of Spielberg, sorry to say," she commented, passing the DVD back to him. Seth gasped dramatically and covered his ears with both his hands. "Stop! I don't want to hear it. Do you even know what you're saying, woman? That man is a god!" he protested. Blair got up and brushed herself off, walking straight to her dresser to rummage through her own collection of CDs and DVDs. She shuffled for a few minutes, then finally returned to Seth, a couple of items in her hand. "And now I present to you the Blair Waldorf Starter Pack – it's got my favourite classics: Breakfast at Tiffany's, of course, Casablanca, 16 Candles…and some of the best music known to mankind – The Beatles, Bjork, Radiohead…and of course, my own copy of Wuthering Heights. Don't lose it – it's a limited edition," she warned him, passing him the massive pile. Seth sifted through the collection and handed her back her CDs. "I've already got these," he told her. He put the things down next to him, and looked up at her. "God, all this Bronte sisters stuff? You're such a _girl_!" "And you are such a _boy_," she shot back, taking his remark as a compliment. "And for your information, my favourite flowers are -" "Pink peonies," Seth cut in, interrupting her. "I noticed them the first time I came to your house." He pulled her closer to him, turning serious again. "So, are we going to make this work?" Blair nodded at him, her heart bursting with emotion. Even though she had been swept off her feet numerous times before by his sweet gestures, this was the first time where she felt that they had come to an understanding, a compromise – and the first time where she felt that she would be willing to put down her pride and take a leap of faith with him. Seth stayed the night with her, going through all of Blair's favourite movies featuring the lovely Audrey Hepburn, before finally popping in the last DVD of the night – the Goonies – until they fell asleep in each others' arms.


	20. Chapter 17 - The Hook-up

**A/N: This may seem like an uneventful and a non-Bleth focused chapter, but in fact, it will have a lot of bearing on their future, and for Blair's character development. Please be patient - more goodies will come soon! I'm also struggling with the fact that Seth and Blair have missed Thanksgiving, Chrismukkah, AND Valentine's based on the current timeline. Will try to work my way around it, though. As usual, it would be great if you could give me some reviews! Thanks for all my usual supporters and fans - I'm writing this for you!**

"Coming!"

Seth approached the door in his PJs, barely awake. He had spent the entire day catching up on his sleep after spending the night at Blair's again, on yet another movie marathon. Seemed that her idea of spring break was simply to educate Seth on all things Audrey, and Seth was pretty sure he could memorize the first fifteen minutes of Breakfast at Tiffany's by now. He swung open the door to find Blair, looking as fresh as ever in a Columbian blue dress, with a bag of bagels in her hand. Close behind her was Serena, who was sporting a bright yellow tank top and _very_ short shorts.

"May we come in?" Blair asked cheerfully, marching in before Seth could even answer. He stepped out of the way and opened his arm to give a welcoming gesture, reluctant to open his mouth since he hadn't even had time to brush his teeth yet. Blair didn't seem to mind though, considering she walked straight into his arms and planted a big smooch directly on his lips. Serena looked away uncomfortably as they relished in the moment, distracting herself with the interiors of the Cohen house. Just then, Ryan appeared down the hallway, peering curiously at them.

"Seth? Blair?" Ryan paused when his eyes reached Serena, whom he remembered from Blair's debut party. "Hey…what's up?"

Serena looked into his clear blue eyes, and blushed slightly. She didn't recognize the stranger, but he was awfully attractive. She gave him a small smile, and looked back at Blair for an introduction. Blair had turned around in time to catch their greeting, and already the wheels in her head were fast at work.

"_Ryan!_" Blair called out at him emphatically, sounding a little too friendly. "How good to catch you here! I was just telling my friend Serena here, what a _great_ guy you are!" she exclaimed, giving Serena a meaningful look.

Serena stuck out her hand for Ryan to shake, and the two of them lingered for just a moment longer than necessary before pulling away. Blair nudged Seth in the ribs, but Seth was a tad too sleepy to notice what was going on.

"Soooo, I say that we should all head out today and enjoy the nice weather, don't you? Ryan, you don't look like you have any plans. Care to join us?" Blair flashed Ryan her most dazzling smile, and batted her eyelashes at him. Seth threw her a strange look, curious as to what his girlfriend was up to this time.

Ryan looked slightly uneasy, sensing from Blair's ultra-friendliness that something was up. "Nah, you guys go ahead. I think I'm gonna catch up on some studying during the break. Have fun, though!" he waved at them before retreating back to his pool house.

"Seth!" Blair slapped him hard on the arm as soon as Ryan was out of earshot. She glanced over at Serena, then shoved Seth to the side, lowering her voice to a whisper. "Get with the program!"

"What program? What's with you?" Seth asked, looking over at her.

"Can't you tell what's going on? Love at first sight! Happening right before our eyes! React, Cohen!" Blair shot back at him, hands on her hips.

"You mean _those_ two? Ryan and blondie over there? Uh Blair, you do realize Ryan has a girlfriend right? May I remind you of another tall, skinny blonde named Marissa who also happens to be your friend?" Seth informed her slowly, waiting for Blair to concede.

But Blair was adamant. "I _know_ Ryan has Marissa – for _now_. But I thought you said they're not really stable anyway. Weren't you the one who told me that Marissa's a walking pile of baggage? Don't you want something better for your friend?"

Seth looked at Blair suspiciously. "And I thought _you_ told me that your friend Serena was just as bad. What makes you think things will be better for Ryan if he gets with _her_?"

Blair bit her lip. Seth had a point this time. But she wasn't about to give up – at least not without a good fight. "Serena is a work in _progress_. Plus, wouldn't it be great if Serena could find her true love here, and stay in Newport too? Then we'd both have our best friends, and we can be together all the time! All four of us!" Blair squealed in excitement.

Seth sighed in defeat. He knew how much Serena meant to Blair, and that she would be much happier if she had her best friend with her in Newport. But more so, he knew his girlfriend well enough to know that she wasn't likely to give up until she had her way – regardless of what Seth may say or think. He gave her a big kiss on her forehead, and walked off to talk to Ryan. This was going to take a whole lot of bribing.

Meanwhile, Blair returned to Serena's side, who had now made herself at home in the Cohens' open kitchen. "So S…I saw the way you looked at Ryan. Looks like someone's got a wandering eye," she teased her friend.

Serena laughed to cover her embarrassment. "Blair! It's not like that. I mean, I was just caught off-guard. I didn't expect to be seeing anyone else here," she replied casually.

Blair rolled her eyes. "Please, you don't have to explain to me. My eyes would be roaming too, if I were dating that muppet boyfriend of yours."

"Don't make fun of Dan," Serena protested, turning to face Blair. She paused, drumming her fingers on the kitchen counter. "It's just that…things haven't really been going that well for us lately," she confessed.

"Oh? Trouble in paradise?" Blair remarked with a smirk. Seemed like things might work according to her plan after all. She was just about to continue when she saw Seth reappearing with Ryan behind him. Ryan gave his trademark "cool" wave at the two girls, while Seth signaled upstairs to indicate that he needed to get dressed. Blair took that as her cue, and followed Seth, running up the stairs behind him and leaving Serena and Ryan alone in the kitchen.

"Don't you think they're so cute?" Blair exclaimed eagerly, clapping her hands together as soon as they were in Seth's room.

"I don't know, Blair," Seth replied doubtfully, "I practically had to drag Ryan out of the pool house to get him to agree to this. Just to let you know, he knows _exactly_ what you're up to, and he's not liking it one bit."

Blair waved her hand carelessly. "Oh, he'll come around. No one can resist the great Serena van der Woodsen for long."

Seth took a step towards her, grabbing her by her waist and drawing her near. "Oh, I'm pretty sure _I_ can," he breathed into her ear.

Blair turned her head to meet his eyes, and the two of them took a moment to continue where they had left off. "Let me help you get dressed – or _undressed_," she purred at him, pulling the knot of his robe loose. Seth's robe fell onto the floor, revealing his t-shirt and boxers. Underneath the soft fabric, Blair could feel Seth's body stiffen against hers. She moaned softly in response. The two of them had come so close to letting it go in the past couple of days, with all the nights spent together watching romantic movies, but each time, something had interrupted them to keep it from happening.

"Seth," Blair gasped, breathing heavily, "maybe we can just tell them to wait a little longer." She was tugging away at his shirt, throwing it above his head.

Seth had forgotten all about his morning breath, and was trying hard to concentrate with Blair's hands and lips gliding over his body. He knew he had to say something before things got out of control. He took a giant leap backwards, falling into his bed. Just as Blair was about to retaliate by climbing on top of him, Seth held out his hand in protest.

"Wait, Blair," he called out as Blair started to unzip her dress. She stopped dead in her tracks.

"What?"

Seth sped up suddenly and approached Blair from behind, zipping her dress back up for her. "Not now, okay? Let's not keep them waiting," he answered, giving her a soft peck on her nose.

Blair's face fell in disappointment, her forehead touching his lips. Every bit of her body ached with anticipation, and she felt as if she was going to explode with her need for Seth. She had felt this urge before, during her time with Nate and amidst all the sex games she had played with Chuck, but this time was different – she wanted to give all of herself to Seth to show him just how deeply she cared for him. But she knew he was right, and that Serena and Ryan were probably experiencing some majorly awkward times while the two of them were hidden away in Seth's room.

"Okay," Blair finally replied with a pout. She walked over to Seth's closet and threw him a shirt. "Now put it on before I change my mind."

Seth gave her a sly smile and pulled the shirt over his head. He couldn't help but feel smug at the kind of effect he was having on Blair Waldorf. "Don't worry, you'll get it someday," he promised her, touching her hair lightly. His touch brought shivers down Blair's spine, as usual. After another good ten minutes of intense spit-swapping, Blair and Seth made their way down the stairs at last, catching Serena and Ryan making small talk.

"Seth!" Ryan called out, looking immensely relieved. Blair understood perfectly how he felt – neither Serena nor Ryan were much of a conversationalist, which was what made Blair see them as the perfect pair in the first place. Ryan could brood while Serena could mumble, and the both of them could take turns pretending to be righteous – it would be epic. Blair smiled in satisfaction and headed out the door, leading the way.

Ten minutes later, they were arriving at the Crab Shack to get some lunch. Granted, it was nothing like the lobster rolls that Blair and Serena were used to having at Luke's Lobster on the UES, but this wasn't so bad. The four of them packed into a cozy booth and ordered their food before Blair sprung into action.

"So Seth," Blair cooed sweetly, "why don't you tell Serena all about your wonderful adopted brother, Ryan?" She blinked hard at him.

Seth took the hint and turned to Serena. "Well, Serena. Ryan here is accomplished in many different areas. He has singlehandedly turned wifebeaters into a fashion item in Newport, _and_ he specializes in punching people. Intrigued yet?"

Blair shot a death glare at Seth, while Serena gave the two of them a strange look. Ryan widened his eyes, as if expecting no better from Seth. He glanced down at the table, while Serena drew in a sharp breath. She was ready to kill Blair, right then and there. "What exactly did you want us to talk about, Blair?" she asked her in a frosty tone.

"Oh?" Blair responded in feigned innocence. "I thought it'd be nice for four friends to just get together and get to know each other. After all, now that Cohen and I are together, it's just common decency to introduce his family to my best friend." She blinked rapidly at her. "Besides, I'm sure you two will have tons to bond over. Maybe you two can recount to each other all the run-ins you've had with the police?"

"Uh Blair, I don't think that's appropriate," Seth said slowly, trying to phrase his words delicately.

"What? I'm sure Ryan doesn't mind. Right, Ryan? No judgement here, I promise," Blair reassured him, touching his arm lightly.

Ryan sighed heavily and gritted his teeth. He was doing this for Seth. He turned to Serena. "So, you had a rough past too, I'm guessing?"

Serena looked a little uneasy. "Well, not anything major. Just associated myself with the wrong kind of people for a little while."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Ryan nodded along. Their eyes met briefly in understanding, before Serena turned away again.

"Excellent!" Blair chirped, squeezing Seth's arm tightly. She loved it when things went according to plan. Just as she was about to point out Serena's affinity for bad boys, Blair saw two familiar figures walking through the door. Her heart dropped. It was Summer Roberts and Marissa Cooper – heading straight towards their table.

Marissa seemed to perform a full-body scan on Serena, the moment she saw her sitting together with Ryan. Her expression was one of surprise, of confusion, and most of all, of hurt. She refused to look away from the two of them as she stood in the middle of the restaurant. The waiter that had attempted to seat them eventually gave up when he realized that she had more important business to take care.

Everyone stopped breathing as they waited for either Ryan or Marissa to make the next move. Being his brilliant self, Ryan stayed exactly where he was, completely silent. Blair could do nothing but look away guiltily, and even Seth seemed at a loss for words, which was awfully rare for him. It was actually Serena who spoke first, figuring out quickly by the way things looked that she was no longer welcome here.

"Blair, could you come to the washroom with me? I forgot to go, back at Seth's house," she proceeded to glide out of the booth, but Marissa stepped up to them, stopping them from moving any further.

"No, don't go. You can all be here for what I have to say," Marissa told them with authority, making Serena, and even Blair, shrink back into their seats. She turned slowly to Ryan.

"Ryan, I don't need you to explain to me what this is. I know things haven't been going too well between the two of us lately. And I – I had hoped that we would work our way through it, but I guess I should have been more clear about the way I felt – _feel_." She took a deep breath and looked right into his eyes, as if no one else existed in the entire restaurant. "I know life with me isn't easy. I've got tons of drama and I've let you walk right into it the moment you came to Newport. First it was Luke, then my mom, then my alcohol issues…but I don't want to let you go, Ryan. I'm willing to fight for us, and to do anything and everything to make it work. Please Ryan, choose me. I _need_ you. You mean everything to me, and I'm hoping that you still feel the same way about me, too." Marissa finally stopped at the end of her big speech, which was followed by another deafening silence. Suddenly, out of nowhere, Seth began clapping. He did so for a few seconds, then, when he realized no one else had joined in, finally stopped.

Ryan rose immediately from his seat after the sound of Seth's clapping ceased, and swept Marissa up in his arms to give her a long kiss. They paused to look at each other, then continued kissing until everyone in the restaurant started clapping. Blair stood up boldly as the kiss drew to an end, bracing herself for what was next.

"I'm sorry, Marissa. This was all my idea, forcing Ryan to come even though he didn't want to at first. I will admit that I was a little out of line. Please accept my apology," Blair said, her voice somewhat strained.

Marissa turned to her. "It's okay, Blair. I actually have to thank you. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have realized how much Ryan means to me, and how much I love him." She turned to give Ryan a warm smile, looking lost in his eyes.

To Blair's relief, the tension was broken by the waiter, who had brought finally brought over their food. The four of them made room for both Summer and Marissa, and they all chatted over lunch like close friends. By the time they were done, it was already late in the afternoon, and Seth and Ryan had to head home to help prepare dinner. Serena and Blair stayed behind to take a walk along the pier.

"You know, I keep thinking about what Marissa said back there," Blair remarked, lost in thought. "She just stood there, so sure of herself, and so fearless. I don't think I could ever do what she did."

"You mean, what she said to Ryan? About how much she loves him?" Serena asked.

Blair looked out into the waters. "Yeah, that," she replied softly. She looked up suddenly, then laughed hollowly. "I mean, is she out of her mind? She's lucky he didn't turn her down in front of all those people."

Serena shrugged. "Sometimes, you have to allow yourself to be vulnerable, even when you're scared."

"You know, you sound just like Dan. He told me to take risks, that I need to let go of my pride," she said, rolling her eyes.

"And he's right, B. You've built all these walls around you to keep yourself protected. Maybe it's time that you let someone in so they can help tear them down," she told her gently.

"But Seth? You think he's the one? That scrawny little brat?" Blair half-joked, her eyes full of hope nonetheless.

"Who knows? No one does for sure. But I think you'll know, when you're ready. That day _will_ come, B, when you find a love that completes you and heals you."

"When I'm ready," Blair echoed, keeping the words close to her heart. They stood there, side by side, staring at the calm, blue sea. She wished desperately that Seth could be the one, that she would finally be able to let go and allow herself to be free – free to be loved, and also, to be hurt. Free, so that she would no longer feel as if she had to _work_ in order to win affection. Free, so that she could be content in the knowledge that at last, she was good enough.

_One day._


	21. Chapter 18 - The Showdown

**A/N: Sorry for the super duper long hiatus! But no worries, I haven't given up yet! Will be working crazy hours these days, but I promise I will definitely take time out during the week to update again. Sexy times _are_ coming soon, for all of you that are asking. I just didn't want to rush it, and want to make sure it works with the fabric of the story. Let me know what you think about this one! Reviews keep me motivated to keep writing! :) :)**

"Seth, look at this," Blair commanded Seth, holding a piece of paper so close to his face that it almost touched his nose.

"Well hello to you too, Blair," he responded sarcastically, peering out from behind the piece of paper to try to get a better look of his girlfriend. But Blair had more important things on her mind.

"I'm serious, Seth. Look! Student council elections are coming up, and it's the perfect chance for me to secure my position at Harbor. I'm handing in the nomination form today," Blair informed him curtly. She examined the form meticulously, barely glancing up to look at Seth.

Seth frowned at her. "Uh huh…great. Except you're forgetting one thing – you have to actually get elected to become president of the student council, and forgive me for being honest, but I'm not really sure you have what it takes to win over the votes of the entire school, being a new student and all," he reminded her gently. Seth took a moment to examine their surroundings – they were in Harbor's coffee shop, and were encircled by students of all nationalities and backgrounds, most of which would never even look at him twice. He had no idea why Blair would want to be president of this bunch in the first place, but also knew her well enough to know that the woman never missed an opportunity to be in a position of power.

Blair waved her hand at him dismissively. "Details…details. I may be new here, but I'm obviously already one of the most popular girls at Harbor. Just look at the army of freshmen dying to get waitlisted," she answered, adjusting her headband.

"You have a _waitlist_?" Blair shrugged airily, showing her indifference. "Okay fine, I admit that you may be a _tad_ more popular than me among the elites of Harbor," Seth continued as he watched Blair throw him a victorious smirk. "But there's more to the school than just the popular kids. Have you forgotten what may be uh…let's see, let's say _seventy _percent of the student body – the band geeks, comic book fanatics, and chess club members – who will _also _be getting a vote?"

Blair's frowned, and a deep wrinkle appeared across her forehead. Seth didn't like seeing Blair upset, mostly because he knew that he would most likely be at the receiving end of her tantrum. Still, this was one case where Blair may not be able to get her way.

"So I may have slightly miscalculated," Blair finally conceded. She pouted while they made their way out of the café and into the halls. She watched the students shuffle down the hallways around her. Her eyes fell on an awkward-looking boy, dressed in jeans that were _so _completely three years ago, and holding the latest issue of _Naruto_. "Well I guess we can just forget it, then. I mean, how am I supposed to get people like _that_ guy over there to like me?" Blair whined, throwing her head in the boy's direction. She glanced back at Seth, who happened to be holding the same issue of the manga in his hands as they spoke. "Uh…Seth, what is that?" she suddenly snapped at him.

"Oh, this? It's _amazing_! They're explaining now the history of the Umeda clan, and it seems like - "

"That's it! You're a genius! Finally, you're useful for _something_!" Blair jumped up and gave Seth a long hug, which almost made Seth lose his balance.

"Wow, gee thanks, Blair," Seth said, slightly offended. He watched as Blair's eyes twinkled mischievously as she grabbed his hand and dragged him along with her as she approached the boy.

Blair flashed her million-dollar smile at the boy, who looked star-struck as Blair made her way towards him. "Hi there," Blair cooed at him, flipping her hair purposefully, "I don't think we've met before." Seth eyed his girlfriend suspiciously as she worked her manipulative magic.

To both Blair and Seth's surprise, the boy turned to Seth. "Oh, I know who you are. You're like, _famous_ among us. You're like, one of us, but you got…well, _her_," the boy replied, lowering his head shyly as he gestured at Blair.

Seth watched with disdain as Blair gloated over the boy's comments. He was about to question the boy's logic when Blair suddenly jumped in, making her motives clear to Seth. "Yes well, that's what we're about – the two of us. In fact, we're running for president and vice president of the student council together so we could, uh – produce a closer bond between the haves and have-nots in our school. And by haves and have-nots, I mean those who have friends, and those who don't." Blair finished her explanation with a smile, as the boy's face fell in disappointment.

Seth pulled her aside. "Blair, have some tact, will you? You can't just tell people to their face that they don't have friends!" The boy scuffled away from the pair, shoulders hunched. Seth turned back to Blair. "I know what you're trying to do, Blair. And the answer's no. I'm not going to help you win votes from the unpopular people."

Blair threw Seth her best puppy eyes. "Pleeeeeeease, Seth? I promise I'll make it up to you. No shopping with me for a month. I'll even let you call me cupcake. Please?" Blair tugged on the sleeve of Seth's shirt as she pleaded with him.

Seth sighed in defeat. Blair Waldorf was convincing when she was angry, but she was even _more_ convincing when she activated her puppy eyes. He nodded grudgingly as Blair cheered, giving him another hug and a big kiss on his cheek. "But no manipulation. We win this fair and square, or not at all, okay?" he warned her.

Blair gave him an innocent stare. "What manipulation? Come on, we have to work on our slogan!" Seth's face finally broke into a smile as he and Blair walked down the halls, arm in arm. Blair chattered endlessly about her campaign, while Seth watched her in admiration. She sure didn't give up when she put her mind to something. Just then, the two of them were interrupted by the sound of a high-pitched voice, addressing a group of students that were gathered by the lockers.

"And that is why you should vote for me, Taylor Townsend, as president of _your_ student council – because you deserve it. Thank you very much." The crowded erupted into cheers and applause, and scattered to reveal a petite, well-groomed blonde that was dressed in a tight-fitting skirt and a crisp, white blouse. Her attire told Blair that she meant business. A girl approached her and she turned expertly to answer the questions addressed to her.

"Because you deserve it? What kind of tagline is that? What is she, L'Oreal?" Blair crossed her arms furiously, examining her opponent from head to toe. "And what is she doing rallying up votes at this time? We haven't even reached the deadline for nomination yet!"

Seth stepped up beside Blair and watched as Taylor continued passing out glossy pamphlets to every student that passed by. "Look at her go," he said, letting out a low whistle.

"You know her?"

"Yeah, sure. Taylor Townsend. Good luck if it's her you're running against. She definitely has the nerd niche covered. I believe she's able to converse fluently in all of the Middle-earth languages," Seth explained with a frown, as Taylor shoved yet another pamphlet into the hands of a passerby.

Blair curled her lip in disgust, throwing Seth a look. She watched as Taylor shook the hands of those who happened to walk past her, as if she were a celebrity of some sort. Lifting her chin confidently and putting on her game face, Blair strutted up to the girl, ready as ever for a challenge. She tapped her lightly on her shoulder with a single finger, for fear that she might catch whatever germs the girl may be carrying, while Seth hung back, waiting for hell to break loose.

"Um, excuse me. Can I ask what you think you're doing?" Blair asked haughtily.

"Oh, it's you – the new girl. I'm- " Taylor stuck out her hand.

"It's Blair Waldorf. Not 'the new girl'. And I know who you are. But aren't you getting a little ahead of yourself?" Blair snapped at her.

"Well, I'm a true believer of a head start. There's nothing in the rules that prevents us from starting our campaign early. Here, why don't you take one of these? It may give you some ideas as to how to fit into Harbor. Who knows, you may even want to run for student council next year, after learning from my leadership, of course," Taylor said, giving Blair a friendly smile and handing her one of her pamphlets.

Blair stayed exactly where she was, refusing to touch the piece of paper. She gave Taylor her best death glare, which made even Seth cower back. Taylor, seeing that Blair was not one to be messed with, lifted her own chin defiantly in response, and the two of them stood head to head with each other, as if declaring war.

"You're going down," Blair hissed at her.

"Oh we'll see about that. I hear you think you're Queen B. B as in, _bitch_. Well, here in Newport, no one likes bitches. Have fun trying to get votes from the little people," Taylor responded, turning her back on Blair. Taylor proceeded to approach yet another member of the school band, sending out light beams with her glowing smile.

"What did you say my special power was, Seth?" Blair asked Seth through her teeth. She was furious.

Seth gulped and ran his hand through his hair. He didn't like where this was going. "Remember what you promised me, Blair. No manipulation," he practically begged her.

"Just giving her a little taste of the real Queen B. What was that she called me? A bitch? We'll show her what a real crazy bitch looks like." She grabbed Seth by the collar and dragged him down the hall, briefing him for her scheme to take down Taylor Townsend.

* * *

Seth hurried down the halls, hoping no one would catch him in action. He didn't feel comfortable with what he was about to do, but Blair could be very convincing – not to mention intimidating – when she put her mind to it. Seth shuddered at the memory, and continued making his way to the photocopying machines. Just as he was about to head into the library, he came face to face with the person he dreaded to see the most – Taylor Townsend, in the flesh.

"Why hello, Seth. And why are you in such a hurry today?" She glanced down at him as Seth shifted uneasily on his feet, avoiding her stare. Taylor noticed that Seth seemed to be getting paler by the second, and peered down at the piece of paper that he was clutching in his hands. He was grasping it so tightly that it began to crumple. "What's that you have in your hand?"

"Oh, nothing," Seth replied instantly, trying to look as casual as possible. "I'm just running some errands for Blair. Need to photocopy some things for her campaign." He gave her a shrug. "You know, the usual. No big deal. Which reminds me – gotta run! The woman is not exactly known for her patience." Seth tried to push her way through the library door to avoid any further interrogations, but Taylor was determined.

"Why so mysterious? Care to share?"

"Uh – no, Taylor. I _don't_ care to share, considering you're running against her, so that would be a conflict of interest and a breach of – um, confidentiality. And since we were never really friends to begin with, maybe you can just drop the nice guy act and step out of the way and let me through so I can get my stuff done, alright?" Seth gestured emphatically as if to wave Taylor out of the way, allowing some of his paper to show in the process.

"What _is_ that?" Taylor immediately snatched the paper from his hands as soon as she caught sight of a picture of herself printed on it. Seth lunged for it, but it was too late – Taylor had already stepped aside and was scanning through the contents of the poster that Seth had prepared to photocopy for the entire school to see.

"There's me eating a bucket ice cream by myself while crying in the park…and there's me taking pictures of my primary school crush behind a tree…where did you get this stuff? Was it Blair Waldorf? God, is your girlfriend a private detective or something? And by the way, that is _not_ the whole story with the ice cream. I only had two spoonfuls before I threw the damn thing away," she insisted, balling her hands into fists. She gaped at the paper in horror. "And you were going to make copies of this for the whole _school_? What were you _thinking_?"

Seth swallowed hard and looked down at his feet in shame, then recovered quickly, taking back the piece of paper. "I was thinking that it's about time the school knows who the real Taylor Townsend is. Let's be serious, okay? You're not president material. What do all great leaders have in common? They're charismatic and confident, with a clear vision. Look at you – you're afraid of your own shadow. As much as you pretend to be all put together, you know it will only take one minor criticism to make you shatter to pieces. You're like Samuel L. Jackson in _Unbreakable_. Just like that girl in the picture. We're just saving you from the embarrassment you would inevitably suffer if you were to become president." Seth stopped to take a breath, watching for her reaction. He felt as if he had just recited an excerpt from Blair Waldorf's handbook, with a personal touch of comic book referencing. She would be so proud.

Taylor's face fell, and her cheeks flushed in response to Seth's accusations. The next time Seth saw her eyes again, they were full of tears. "Well, I always figured we belonged in different categories of 'nerds', but I had never taken you for a bully. Guess dating Blair Waldorf could have that sort of effect on a guy, huh?" she smiled bitterly as she wiped the tears away with the back of her hand.

At that precise moment, Blair was making her way to the library to see why Seth was taking so long. She was worried that he may have chickened out last minute, and decided to check on him to help him stay focused. She stopped when she saw Taylor, wiping away her tears. Blair stayed just close enough to eavesdrop on the rest of the conversation, and shrank back out of their sight.

"Blair has nothing to do with this," Seth muttered in defense, looking away.

"Oh really? So you're saying that it was your idea to find pictures of me in compromising situations to shame me in front of the school just so that Blair Waldorf could become president of the student council? I know I called her a bitch, but I don't think that warrants social destruction!" Taylor exclaimed, raising her voice at him. "These so-called popular girls like your girlfriend – they come from nowhere without making the slightest effort, thinking that they can just use their looks and money and popularity to buy their way through life. She has no idea what it feels like to have to _work_ for something! And she'll do anything in order to get what she wants – even to you. Just wait and see. There'll come a day when you'll be the one who's being sacrificed for her sake."

Blair thought about coming out of hiding and confronting her herself, but held back to wait for Seth's reply, in spite of herself. She bit her lip in anticipation as Seth finally spoke up. "You know nothing about Blair and what she's been through. You think you get to look down on her just because she's one of the popular kids, but that just goes to show how wrong you are about her. Look, you're right that this wasn't my idea, and normally, I would hate to be caught up in one of her schemes that involve hurting others," he paused, looking up at Taylor. "But what you're saying about Blair isn't fair, either. She's spent many sleepless nights working on her campaign, and she's come up with some really great ideas on how to improve the school. She's one of the smartest, most capable people I know, and she truly cares about the wellbeing of others, and not just herself. She really _does_ have what it takes to be an awesome president, and I think it would be Harbor's loss not to have her. And I'm sorry about hurting you Taylor, really, I am." Seth placed his hand on his heart as a sign of his sincerity. "But if it's between you and Blair, yeah – I would choose her. In a heartbeat."

Blair took a few steps back, retreating from their vicinity. She was confused as to what she was feeling. On one hand she was offended by Taylor's remark – though granted, they were well-deserved, considering what she had pulled. The truth of some of the comments resonated in her. On the other hand, she was taken aback by the way Seth had defended her. She wasn't really sure herself whether she fit Seth's description – the Blair Waldorf she knew was selfish, self-absorbed, and well, slightly diabolical. It's not that she didn't _try_ to be a good person, it's just that she's had herself convinced for so long that she was simply a damaged good – too messed up to be put back together. Her heart swelled with emotion as she realized just how perfect she was in Seth's eyes. She reacted quickly as she saw Seth walking towards her direction, clearly having ended his conversation with Taylor.

"Ah, Seth. Just the person I wanted to see," she said lightly, trying to mask the wave of emotions that had washed over her. It was everything she could do not to grab him right then and there and kiss him, hard on the lips.

"Hey Blair…listen. About that poster - "

Blair put a finger on his lips to silence him. "Say no more." She took the paper swiftly from his hands, then crumpled it into a ball, tossing it into the nearest garbage. "I don't think we'll be needing this, considering I've effectively decided to withdraw from the election," she announced, dusting off her hands.

"What – Blair!" Seth stood in shock with his arms wide open. "But why? Your ideas were great! You had a plan that would put bridge the gap between the haves and have-nots at Harbor, remember?" He jogged a little to catch up to Blair, who had already walked ahead of him, a coy smile on her face.

"Look, it's not a big deal," she said, stopping to look appreciatively at her boyfriend, fixing his collar and brushing his hair away from his eyes lightly. "I've just decided that I had bigger aspirations, afterall. I mean, come on, _Harbor_? Not even worth my time." She rolled her eyes. "We'll leave it to people like Taylor Townsend to clean up this mess."

Seth nodded slowly in understanding, observing his girlfriend. "Uh-hm. And this wouldn't have anything to do with a certain conversation that you happened to have overheard by the library just now, would it?" he questioned, swinging his arm around her shoulder as they walked side-by-side down the school halls.

"Maybe a _tiny_ bit. I guess it would be a little – how should I put it – _unkind_ for me to air out her dirty laundry for the whole school to see, wouldn't it?" Blair asked softly. She felt the familiar wave of guilt wash over her again as she spoke. She seemed to be feeling it more and more often now that she was with Seth.

"Blair Waldorf? Unkind? Never!" Seth joked sarcastically, ruffling her hair. Blair held on to her headband in protest, then turned around to face him, her expression serious.

"Seth, I mean it. I know I may not be the best person at times, and that I may sometimes make you do things that you don't really like." She tiptoed to give him a soft kiss on the cheek. "But thank you, Seth, for always seeing the best in me, and for believing in me at times where I don't even believe in myself. You make me want to be a better person."

Seth smiled at her gently, and kissed her forehead in return. He stared at her for a few minutes, trying to capture the moment so that he would always remember it. "Anytime, Blair," he promised her sincerely. His face broke into a silly grin. "So, does that mean I no longer get to be vice president? Because I was _so_ looking forward to installing a mandatory membership system for the comic book club."

Blair groaned and rolled her eyes, taking his hand. They laughed and talked as they strolled down the halls together, happy that they both found in each other, a better half.


	22. Chapter 19a - The Payback

**A/N: I'm back! And I'm also promising more frequent updates! I've been really busy at work lately, since I've been putting on a drama, and we've had performances every week. I'm releasing this as part one of the a two-part chapter, just because I've enjoyed writing this arch so much that I didn't want to cut it short! Taylor is becoming one of my favourite characters! Hope you guys will like this one as well :) Some foreshadowing going on too...*wink wink***

**Look forward to Part 2 by this weekend! Thanks for all the reviews! Love knowing that the story has been missed :)  
**

"And we're happy to announce that the president of the Harbor School student council is Taylor Townsend! Congratulations, Taylor!"

The students in the coffee shop exploded into loud cheers as soon as the announcement was made through the PA system. Seth and Ryan exchanged looks and tried to edge their way out of the crowd. Behind them, an elated Taylor could be seen, waving elegantly as if she were the Queen of England herself. She blew kisses into the crowd, and posed for pictures with eager students on their camera phones.

"And what do you know? Looks like we have you and Blair to thank for making this happen," Ryan pointed out flatly. They both looked over simultaneously to catch Taylor referring to herself in third person while going over her plans for the year. The boys made a face, just as Blair and Summer approached them.

"Guess she's enjoying her new spotlight," Summer remarked under her breath.

Blair rolled her eyes. "How exceptionally boring. Let's face it, nothing she's going to do is ever going to interfere with how _I _currently run the school anyway, so what does it really matter who's president?" she said lightly. Her friends shrugged and nodded at the truth of the statement. Blair turned to Seth and leaned into him, dropping her voice to just above a whisper. "So, are we going back to my place after school? Remember we said that there was this _thing_ we were going to do?"

Seth swallowed hard as Blair curled a strand of his hair around her finger, waiting for his reply. Ryan and Summer looked increasingly uncomfortable and tried to look the other way while the couple canoodled at their side. Seth appeared slightly frazzled himself, and gingerly removed himself from Blair's grasp. "Maybe we can talk about this later, Blair. Say, when we're _alone_?" he said emphatically, looking pointedly at Ryan and Summer.

Blair pouted slightly, then regained her composure, turning to face Ryan. "Well, you take good care of him for me then. I'll see _you_ later," she said, pointing at Seth. "Come on, Sum. Let's go. I have to talk to you about Katie Arden's new hair. It looks atrocious!" She paused, reached up to give Seth a peck on the cheek, staring into his eyes and lingering there for just a moment longer than appropriate, then walked away with Summer at her side.

Ryan smirked at Seth. "So you two haven't had sex yet," he said immediately.

Seth let out a dramatic reaction and waved his hand dismissively. "_Whaaat?_ No, what do you mean, Ryan? Hey – I'm personally _offended_ that you would say that. Blair and I – we -" Seth stopped and looked at Ryan's expressionless face, then gave up. "Okay, fine. So maybe we haven't exactly hit home run yet. But I'm slowly making my way there. Sex happens to be a very big deal to me, you know. I wouldn't want to rush _into_ anything, you know. Not without letting the lady know that I'm into her heart and mind more than her body," Seth finished as sincerely as possible, taking his time to form his sentences.

Ryan nodded in agreement. "So you're scared, because you're a virgin and I'm guessing she's not," he said plainly, swinging his backpack over his shoulder in preparation to end the discussion. Ryan knew that was the only way he could get Seth to confess.

Seth took the bait and turned sharply to face Ryan. "God, are you like, a mind-reader or something? I thought punching people were your specialty, not ESP," Seth exclaimed, his hands on top of his head. Ryan shot him a glare, and turned as if to walk away from him. "Okay, okay fine. I'll be honest. Blair's been kind of giving me pressure lately to, you know, do the deed, seal the deal…whatever it is they call it these days. We haven't really talked about her…experience, but I'm guessing it goes beyond taking a bath with plastic horses so yes, I'm a little afraid of my lack of expertise in that area, and of scaring her away."

Ryan observed Seth, who looked thoroughly traumatized and fearful, and was about to give him some advice when he saw Taylor Townsend making her way towards them. "Let's pick this up another time, okay?" he muttered under his breath as he and Seth both plastered a smile on their faces as Taylor approached them. "Taylor! What a pleasant surprise!"

"Nice to see you too, Ryan," Taylor nodded at him and said slowly. Ryan guessed that she had probably spent hours perfectly that particular tone that showed a mix of both importance and concern – with a dash of condescension. Luckily, she wasn't interested in saying much else to Ryan, and immediately turned her attention to Seth. To Ryan's surprise, her tone changed a hundred and eighty degrees as she spoke to him – she sounded much sweeter – even _shy_. Ryan froze as he observed what was happening in front of his eyes.

"Hello, Seth. I just wanted to say thank you, you know, for everything you've done. I know I said some mean things the last time we spoke, but I'm glad you seemed to have given it some thought. I really do have you to thank for making all of this happen," she gestured at the posters and the balloons that she had ordered for herself in celebration of her own success. She looked down at her feet timidly, biting her lip nervously.

"Hey, congrats on the win, Taylor. Despite what I said last week, I think you'll do a great job. You're the perfect combination of ruthless and power-hungry, and I mean that completely as a compliment. Good for you," he patted her gently on her shoulder, hoping that his kind words would remove himself and Blair off her radar permanently. He hadn't noticed that Taylor's face immediately lit up with hope, and that she giggled at the praise.

"You think so, Seth?" she squealed. "Well it couldn't have happened if it weren't for you. I know it was you who made Blair stop whatever she was that she had planned." Seth opened his mouth in protest, but Taylor cut him off before he could finish. "But let's not talk about her. Let's talk about _us_ for a moment," she continued, taking a step closer towards him. "I noticed that you had many ideas about what we could do with – um, the _lesser_ people at Harbor, to make them feel more accepted here. I didn't tell you because you were working with you-know-who at the time, but I honestly thought that they were actually really, really great. And since it's up to the president to assemble her own cabinet…I was wondering whether you wanted to be my vice president. Shake things up a bit together. So, what do you say?" Taylor batted her eyelashes heavily at him and looked at him expectantly.

Seth was taken back by her flood of compliments, and ran his hand through his hair bashfully. "Gee, Taylor. You really think my ideas were good?" He wasn't used to receiving compliments, and the remark boosted his ego considerably. He was lost in thought when Taylor prodded him again, asking for his response.

"So, Seth? Does that mean you'll say yes? That you'll be my best man?" she asked eagerly.

Ryan cleared his throat. There was something about the way Taylor looked at Seth and her choice of words that made him feel very, very uncomfortable. He tried to get Seth's attention, but he seemed to be too absorbed in his own ego to take any notice. Panicking, Ryan suddenly coughed out one word – "Blair!" under his breath, hoping that would help snap Seth back to reality. Both Seth and Taylor spun around immediately, looking scared and startled at the same time.

"Where?" Taylor demanded, her entire body stiffening up as if she had become the prey of a dangerous mountain lion. Seth also shrunk back a little and looked around him.

Ryan took a deep breath. "What I meant was – don't you think you should ask Blair first, before making such a big decision? I mean, I know you guys had a lot of things planned for the rest of the year," he said to Seth meaningfully.

Seth's face fell a little as he contemplated Ryan's advice. He knew that it would piss Blair off royally if he agreed to work with Taylor. But at the same time, he was genuinely flattered that someone had actually appreciated his input. Taylor's voice interrupted his thoughts.

"The last time I checked, I thought Blair was your girlfriend, not your mother. Since when do you have to consult with your girlfriend before deciding to be a leader at the school? You'd be doing a good thing, Seth," Taylor pressed on. Boy, she really did have what it takes to be president – she sure knew how to be convincing when she put her mind to it. Ryan grabbed Seth's arm to get him to consider carefully before his answer.

Seth looked over at Ryan, fully acknowledging his warning, but turned to face Taylor. "Okay. I'll do it. I'll work with you on the one condition that you take my ideas into consideration, and you leave taking Blair down out of your agenda." Ryan put his palm to his forehead in exasperation, while Taylor clapped gleefully at his reply.

"Pshh…take Blair down? I have more important things to focus on right now. As in, how to make Harbor a safe and inclusive learning environment – for _everybody_," she said innocently. "So, I'll see you at 4 o'clock sharp in the café for our first meeting?"

"Yup. I'll be there." He saluted to her as Taylor turned her back from him, giving him one last coy smile before disappearing back into the crowd. Seth turned back to Ryan.

"Blair's gonna kill you."

"Uh-huh. But then at least by that time I won't be a weak virgin with no manhood of his own." Ryan looked at Seth in surprise. "Look, Ryan. I know you're worried that Blair will go all psycho-bitch on me, but I think this will be really good for our relationship in the long run. My girlfriend's like, the head of the school mafia. And me – I'm like Pee-wee Herman who hasn't even reached puberty. How will I ever get the courage to romance her in bed when I can't even stand up to her in real life?"

"I have no idea what that reference even means, but I sort of see what you're getting at," Ryan said reluctantly. "Just don't say I didn't warn you."

* * *

The moment Seth feared the most came much sooner that he'd had expected. He was just stepping out of his English class when he saw Blair, arms crossed and looking much angrier than he had envisioned her when he had mentally prepared himself for the confrontation. She yanked him violently to the side and practically threw him against the lockers as she proceeded to grab him by the hair. The last time she had treated him with such ferocity she had been straddling him in his bed, trying to get him to take his pants off. But of course, this time was about a hundred times scarier, and Seth felt a flash of fear for his own life.

"SETH COHEN! You'd better have a good explanation for this! What's this I hear about you being the vice president of Student Council? And with TAYLOR TOWNSEND?" She pressed her weight against him, making his head slam against the locker.

"Blair, just let me explain –"

"Explain _what_?! Explain how you fully backstabbed your own girlfriend and betrayed my trust for you by joining the ranks of the girl who called me a spoiled rich bitch?" She let go of him and exclaimed, "I can't believe you!"

"Hey – keep your voice down, will you?" Seth placed both hands on Blair's shoulder to try to calm her down, but Blair flung his hand away. "Look, Blair. I understand why you're upset. But it's not what you think. I just wanted to show you that I'm capable of something – that I'm not just your loser boyfriend who tags along and carries your purse for you," Seth stopped, watching for Blair's reaction. "Not that there's anything wrong with that, of course," he added quickly.

"You could have at least _asked_ me first, you know. I thought we talked about everything together," Blair said, her voice full of hurt. Seth stared guiltily at his feet. The price of manhood was not cheap at all. Just when he thought that he would be able to resolve this himself, he spotted Taylor making her way towards them. His heart literally stopped beating.

"Hi there, partner!" she practically cooed at Seth. She turned her attention to Blair just as enthusiastically, but her voice turned cool. "Hello, Blair. I see Seth's already filled you in with our new alliance. Exciting, isn't it?"

Blair seethed with anger, but spoke in a calm and composed manner. "How interesting that for how much you hate me, you decided to ask my _boyfriend_, of all people, to be your vice president. Guess that was the best you could come up with to get back at me."

"It never ceases to surprise me, Blair, just how little you think of your own boyfriend. Surely you think he deserves _some_ credit for his ideas, right? What makes you think I asked him because of _you_? I asked him, because of _him_," Taylor asserted, then peaked at Seth tentatively to check for his reaction. Seth shifted uncomfortably on his feet, but felt secretly pleased at Taylor's clarification.

Blair bit her lip. This was going to be a lot more difficult than she had anticipated. She watched as Taylor made her way to Seth and touched him gently on his arm. "But I'm _so_ glad I ran into you, Seth," Taylor said to him sweetly, nudging Blair out of the way as she wedged between the two of them. "There are just so many things to settle at the moment and I definitely need your quick thinking to help me work things through. In fact, there's something I wanted to go over with you before today's meeting after school." She turned to face Blair again. "You don't mind, do you?"

Blair waited for Seth to reject her, but saw that he had fallen silent, and had kept his head down to avoid her stare. "I thought _we_ were meeting up after school!" she protested.

Taylor spoke up just as Seth was going to explain. "Come on, Blair. Seth is a grown man with priorities. He has the entire student body to take care of now. Surely whatever you guys had planned after school can wait. You should be proud of his success. I know I would be, if I were her girlfriend," she giggled flirtatiously as Blair gasped in horror. Blair was seeking for an opportunity to get Seth alone so she could talk some sense into him, but Taylor had already dragged him off in the other direction. Blair fumed as Seth walked off, looking helplessly in Blair's direction, mouthing the words 'sorry' all along the way.

Blair was just plotting an elaborate homicide for Taylor Townsend when Summer and Marissa showed up and interrupted her thoughts.

"Uh-oh. I know that look. Who's pissed off Blair Waldorf this time?" Summer asked. Blair gave her a look, and Summer got the message immediately. "Right. Who else? What did the scrawny loser do _this_ time?"

"Haven't you heard? Taylor asked Seth to be her vice president. She must have done it just to piss Blair off," Marissa explained matter-of-factly.

"Am I really that easy to figure out?" Blair demanded. "But you're only half right. That scheming weasel had her paws all over him today. She was practically slobbering on him. I think she asked him because she has this sick idea in her head that she would be able to steal him from me. _Literally_."

Marissa coughed back her laugh. "Taylor likes Seth Cohen? I'll never understand what all the girls see in him." She paused to glance at Blair and Summer, who were both looking at her with narrowed eyes. "Sorry!"

Blair cleared her throat. "Anyway, I'm not just going to sit there and let her try and do whatever it is she's doing to get between me and Seth. Granted, she'll never succeed, but still – I have to put her in her place to teach her a lesson. No one messes with Blair Waldorf and expects to get away scot-free."

"I don't know, Blair. You may have found your match in Taylor Townsend." The three of them watched as Taylor and Seth showed up at the end of the hall again, Seth looking flustered while Taylor chattered away at him. "It looks like she may have found a way to Cohen's heart, after all. Right now, she's working up his self-confidence. You can't just march up there and expose her. At least, not without making Seth change his mind about how he sees her first."

"We'll see about that. When it comes down to me against Taylor, Seth will choose me. I'm sure of it. I just have to figure out how to free him from her claws without hurting his feelings," Blair responded, watching the two of them like a hawk. She gritted her teeth as she saw Taylor tiptoeing to remove something from Seth's eyelashes.

* * *

The next day, Blair arrived at school bright and early, waiting by Taylor's usual spot as the parking lot. She wanted to make sure she could get her alone, without Seth around. He had called her last night after the meeting to try to explain to her, but Blair didn't want to have the conversation with him until she could prove to him what a slimy boyfriend-stealer Taylor Townsend really was. Luckily, she had her minions do her homework for her, and was prepared for today's confrontation.

"Hello, Taylor," Blair said coolly as Taylor walked out of her car.

Taylor took a step backwards as soon as she saw Blair, for fear that she may try to attack her or slash her tires or something of that sort. She stuck her nose up in the air and struggled to remain composed. "What do you want, Blair? Problems with Seth, already?"

Blair laughed. "Really? You think a loser like _you_ could get in between me and Seth? _Please_," she snorted, rolling her eyes.

"You didn't look so confident yesterday, when you were spying on the two of us in the halls," Taylor retorted, suddenly full of sureness. "Didn't think I'd noticed, did you?"

Blair didn't miss a beat. "And I'll bet _you_ didn't notice when your cell phone went missing in the middle of your meeting after school, either," Blair replied, retrieving her own cell phone out of her Hermès bag and scrolling through it purposefully. "Didn't think anyone would see _this, _did you?" She stopped and flipped her phone around to reveal a picture to Taylor, which sent her lunging forward to try to snatch the phone from Blair's grasp. Blair held the phone back just in time, making Taylor lose her balance.

"How did you get that?" Taylor demanded. "That's for my personal use! It's clearly a violation of my privacy! I could have you expelled for that, you know!"

"Ew! Your personal _use_? What on earth could you possibly be using a photoshopped picture of you and my boyfriend together for?" Blair shook her head in disgust. "Nevermind, don't answer that. Look, I'm letting you down easy for Seth's sake. Just tell him that the post has already been filled and that there was a mix-up, and I'll make sure no one ever sees this, okay? You know the drill." Blair dropped her phone back into her purse and gave Taylor a fake smile. She turned around to walk away from Taylor, satisfied that her job was finished.

"You think you're doing this for Seth's sake?" Taylor asked quietly. "Everything you just did was for no one but yourself. You think you can just use threats and manipulation and hurt whoever you have to to get your way all the time, but that's not how the world works."

Blair spun around to face her. "Big words for someone who just photoshopped herself into someone's boyfriend's picture and manipulated her way into said boy's life by making him vice president just so you could get close to him."

"You know Blair, it may surprise you, but I actually have a real appreciation for Seth. Sure, I made him my vice president because I may have developed a teensy weensy little crush on him, but the fact is – I _do _value what he brings to the table. Are you sure you can say the same for yourself? All you do is drag him around the school like a dog on a leash. I've never even once seen you respect his opinions, or value him as a human being. I may have photoshopped him into my life, but at least I treat him as an equal. Maybe you can reflect on that before you judge me." Taylor paused as Blair glanced at the floor, a little uneasily. "But sure, you've won. And I hope you're happy. Seth's lost his chance to be a part of something big this year, all because you were too insecure to let him explore his own potential without living under your shadow."

Blair tried to come up with a clever remark, but seemed to have temporarily lost her ability to speak. It was Taylor who finally turned around and walked away from her, leaving Blair alone in the parking lot as Taylor's words resonated within her.


	23. Chapter 19b - The Equation

**A/N: So just as promised, I'm back for the weekend. I know this will probably be one of the less popular chapters, since it was more focused on Blair's development rather than Bleth's relationship, but I felt that it was necessary to show the ways in which Blair is growing because of Seth's influence. Worked in a small Dair reference there, just for old times' sake. Thanks for giving me the liberty to explore other characters for the past two chapters...I had fun getting it out of my system! Now the next few chapters will be focused solely on Bleth's relationship, as promised. There is also something that is highly anticipated happening next chapter...so...come back soon! :) :) :)**

**REVIEW ME PLEASE! I look the constructive criticism - really, I do!**

Blair had been feeling uneasy all morning since her talk with Taylor. True, she had gotten what she wanted by doing what she did best – blackmail. She guessed that by now, Taylor had probably already "broken up" with Seth, and that Seth would be by her side again, where he belongs. Still, there was something unsettling about the entire debacle, and she couldn't help but wonder whether Taylor's words had any merit.

She was still lost in thought when a familiar voice sounded behind her.

"Hey stranger, where have _you_ been all day? Missed me?" Blair spun around and saw Seth, looking as cute as ever, with his trademark lopsided smile plastered on his face. She examined his expression carefully, looking for signs of rejection or disappointment, but there were none to be found.

"_You_ seem cheerful," Blair remarked, testing the waters. "So, does that mean everything is going well with _Taylor_?" Her voice rose slightly at the mention of her name.

Seth hesitated for a moment before answering. He took a step closer to Blair and took both her hands in his, speaking in a gentle voice. "Look, Blair, if it makes you upset that I'm working with her, I could just tell her I'm not interested."

Blair looked up, surprised. "You would do that?"

Seth patted her on her head affectionately and kissed her forehead. "Of course I would, silly. To be honest, it was nice to get involved and have my ideas heard for once, but none of that is worth making my _princess_ upset." He cupped her cheeks and ran his fingers through her hair, which made Blair's heart melt into a pool of helpless mush. They stood there for a while, their foreheads touching, while Blair contemplated what to do next.

"It's alright, Seth. It doesn't bother me that you're working with Taylor," she finally said, speaking slowly, surprising herself by what she was saying.

"It doesn't?" Seth asked with the same amount of astonishment in his voice.

"No, it doesn't," Blair said lightly, sticking her nose up in the air. "As long as she keeps her paws off you, and you two keep it strictly business, I have no problem with you becoming vice president of the student council. It would be good for us – a true queen deserves someone who is as much a leader as she is. So I hereby give you permission to work with her."

Seth bowed down exaggeratedly and kissed her hand. "Thank you, Your Majesty."

Blair narrowed her eyes at him and gave a small smile in spite of herself, and began to relax as they chattered over their plans for dinner. Pleased with herself over her small act of charity, Blair remained immersed in a cheerful mood for the rest of the morning. Of course, knowing her luck, all of that went downhill the moment she came face-to-face with Taylor Townsend just as she was waiting for Seth to get out of class to join her for lunch.

"I see…just can't wait to meet Seth after class so you can congratulate him on not being on the student council anymore, can you?" Taylor said coldly, crossing her arms.

"For your information, I've already talked to my _boyfriend_ this morning, and have given him my full support for being on the student council. He knows he has my back. Consider it my personal favor for you. You should know better though, than to try anything else with him, or you can be sure that I won't let you down as easy," Blair informed her, barely bothering to even glance at the girl.

Taylor stayed silent for a moment, obviously taken by surprise. "I guess _someone_ had a dirty conscience after our talk this morning," she finally uttered. "What happened? Did I strike a chord with what I said about you dragging Seth around like a poor puppy?"

"No, but I just realized you're much too pathetic for me to pay any attention to. You can have Seth, if you think playing on his ego will really get him to magically fall in love with you. He'll soon realize that you're just using the student council as an excuse to get close to him, and will leave your desperate ass on the curb where you'll be left all alone. I'll just stand by the sidelines and be prepared to swoop him up in my arms and console him when you're done doing whatever it is you're planning to do," Blair replied curtly, examining her nails.

"Blair?"

The sound of his voice made her blood run cold. Blair spun around and saw Seth, who had just come out of his Calculus class. She didn't know how much of the conversation he had heard, but judging from his expression, he was not at all pleased to see her. Before Blair could say another word, Taylor leapt towards Seth, taking a hold of his arm.

"Seth! I'm sorry! I didn't want to come between the two of you, but it seems that Blair really has it all wrong." She pulled out her cell phone from her purse, showing him the doctored picture of her and Seth that Blair had recovered earlier. "She sent me this photoshopped picture of us, and threatened that if I didn't kick you off the student council, she would tell everyone that I made this and that I was obsessed with you. I just came here to tell you your post had been revoked…but it wasn't what I wanted." Taylor hung her head and placed a hand on her heart. "I really didn't want you to find out this way. I'm sorry, Seth."

Blair was so impressed by Taylor's quick thinking that she was rendered completely speechless. She looked up at Seth and waited for his response.

"Taylor, do you think you could excuse us for a moment?" Seth mumbled. It sounded more like a statement than a request. Taylor slowly glided away, like a snake who had just finished with its prey. The two were left completely alone, with Blair still unable to find the right words to correct the situation. She was still trying to decide whether she should go with defensive, or honest, or just plain silent, when Seth finally spoke up.

"So, are you going to say anything?"

"What do you want me to say? I'm sorry? It's not true? She's really in love with you and I'm not just an obsessive-compulsive insanely jealous girlfriend? Nothing I say right now will change your mind about how you see me right now, so I'll just save myself from further humiliation," Blair spluttered through her tears. God, why on earth was she crying over Taylor Townsend? This was nothing compared to what she had been put through by Gossip Girl back at home. Yet, the frustration she felt at not being able to let Seth know how she really felt hurt like nothing she had felt before. She bit her lip in attempt to control her sudden spill of emotions.

Seth took a step towards her, and to her surprise, hugged her closely, rocking her in his arms. "You're right, Blair. Nothing you say will change my mind about how I see you. You're a crazy, vengeful, manipulative schemer, who's afraid of losing me. That's what I love about you. And I'm not going anywhere, so you have nothing to worry about. Hey – look at me," he urged her, lifting her face by her chin and forcing her to look him in the eyes so she would see his sincerity. "Let's forget about this, okay? Get some ice-cream, skip class for the rest of the day, watch Breakfast at Tiffany's for the fifty-sixth time – I'm cool with that."

Blair laughed through her tears, sending spit flying in Seth's direction. Alarmed, she quickly reached up to clean his face for him. "Why do you have to be so _nice_ to me?" she whined, feeling frustrated but grateful at the same time for having such a perfectly understanding boyfriend, who refused to judge her despite all of Taylor's dirty tricks.

"I thought that was in our contract that I signed the moment I decided to be Blair Waldorf's boyfriend," he joked, pulling away from her in anticipation of her response.

"It was," she answered, poking him hard in the chest with her finger. She reached up and gave him another warm hug, allowing herself to sway for a moment in his arms. After a good five minutes, she finally separated herself from him, and released a full breath of air.

"Okay, there's something else I have to do," she told him, running her fingers through her hair to make sure she still looked okay. "I'm going to handle things with Taylor – the adult way."

"You _could_ always just ignore her, you know," Seth offered, scared for Taylor's sake of what would happen next. "I know you don't like her, but she's really not as terrible as you think. Maybe you just need to give her a chance."

"Please, I have a reputation to maintain. She threw that chance away the moment she decided to start a war with me. No one messes with Blair Waldorf and expects to get away with it. Waldorf women are not cowards, and I'm not just going to stand there and let her think that she can walk all over me, especially not after I _let_ her win on the student council elections. But I promise – no manipulation, no dirty tricks. Nothing but the truth." She reached up and gave him a quick peck on the cheek before rushing down the halls to find her posse. She had a plan – she just needed the right people to execute it.

"So, you're saying that you want to sabotage the entire school assembly at the precise moment where Taylor officially gets sworn into office? And I thought you promised Seth you would do this the adult way," Summer pointed out skeptically. Blair was known for her crazy ideas, but this sounded like one that would involve the principal's office.

"Relax, no one is getting in trouble. And by that, I mean not with Seth, either. We're just going to show everyone the truth, that's all. I already got my minions to gather all 1,358 numbers at Harbor. All we need now is a confession on tape. Can I count on you for that?" Blair asked airily.

Summer sighed and rolled her eyes, which Blair knew counted as a yes. She gestured for Summer to hide behind the lockers as she heard Taylor approaching down the halls in their direction. The assembly was set to start in just under an hour, and Blair knew she had little time to waste. To her surprise, she heard another set of footsteps, following close behind.

"Really, Taylor. I don't even know why you ask me to come to such pointless events at your school. Don't you know I have Cardio Bar today with the girls?" a woman's voice asked crossly. Uncertain of how to cope with the sudden twist of events, Blair ducked behind the lockers as well, taking a place beside Summer. Blair motioned for Summer to keep quiet, and the two continued to eavesdrop on the conversation.

"Mother, it's my inauguration! Can't you just be happy for me, like a normal mom?" Taylor pleaded in a childish voice.

The woman gave a small laugh. "Please, Taylor, don't be so dramatic! You're the president of the student council, not the United States. And anyway, judging from how you look today, I don't think you care much for this assembly, either. Look at you! That blouse is a monstrosity! And your hair! How many times have I told you that highlights are not for chubby girls?" the woman exclaimed indignantly.

Blair and Summer shared a look, and Blair shuffled uncomfortably in her spot. She hated this feeling that was flooding over her, but despite all her efforts to repress it, the sentiment came rushing back. She decided to count to ten before making a move.

"Sorry, mom," Blair heard Taylor mumble in a small voice.

"Sometimes I don't even know why I bother. You should really learn from that Blair Waldorf girl, you know. Did you take my advice about being friends with her? You really need a positive influence like her in your life. That girl spells class – all the moms of Newport are talking about her. Really, Newport could do with some spicing up from Manhattan," Taylor's mother rambled on.

"I've tried. She doesn't want to have anything to do with me," Taylor answered.

"Well it's no wonder! I mean, look at you! What self-respecting girl would wear pinstripes for her inauguration? It's a disgrace to the family name! I'd be surprised if you even had one friend at this school!"

That was when Blair decided that she had heard enough. She gritted her teeth and stood up, grabbing Summer by the wrist and dragging her along with her.

"Hi, Taylor!" Blair called out in the friendliest voice that she could manage. Bracing herself, she reached out to give Taylor an affectionate hug, to make it more convincing. The older woman looked as if she had just been slapped across the face, and took a step back to take in what was happening.

"H-h-h-hi Blair, Summer," Taylor stammered in fear. "What's going on?" She almost winced in anticipation of the humiliation that she was sure Blair Waldorf would bring her right in front of her mother.

"Nothing, we were just wondering whether you needed our help for anything last minute before your big speech. We're so excited for you! Aren't we, Sum?" Blair elbowed Summer sharply.

Summer immediately snapped to attention. "Right! Of course we are, Taylor, our pal. _So_ happy," Summer exclaimed forcefully, clapping her hands together.

"Of course, it wasn't really a surprise to anyone, considering you're one of the most popular girls at school," Blair added, putting her arm around Taylor's shoulder.

"I _am_?" Taylor asked in amazement.

"She _is_?" Taylor's mother echoed. Even Summer couldn't help but gape at Blair, her jaw slightly open.

"Oh! And you must be Mrs. Townsend! Forgive me for forgetting my manners. I'm Blair Waldorf, one of Taylor's friends here at Newport. She's told us a lot about you."

Taylor's mom looked star-struck as she shook Blair's hand. "Oh, _has_ she? Taylor hasn't told me that you two were friends."

"Yes, we are." Blair took a step closer to the woman and looked directly into her eyes. "Taylor's been telling us about the way you belittle and disrespect her. I know your type, Mrs. Townsend, you're just like those Upper East Side moms who try to control their daughters' lives because you've clearly lost control of your own. You think you can feel better about what a mess you've made of yourself by trampling on your daughter's self-esteem, and by bringing her down with you. It's pathetic, but not at all uncommon." Taylor gasped loudly beside her, and Summer covered her mouth with one hand in disbelief as well.

Taylor's mom's face turned bright red in a mix of rage and embarrassment. "Do you have any idea who you're talking to, young lady?"

"I know perfectly well, Mrs. Townsend. I wouldn't get too angry if I were you. Those lines are already taking over your face. Wouldn't want to wear down the Botox before it runs its due course," Blair remarked with a smile.

The older woman narrowed her eyes at her. "You're not going to get away with this, you little brat! Just wait until your parents hear about this!"

Blair rolled her eyes. "Please. My legal guardian is my housekeeper – which means she's also my employee. Have fun trying to explain to her in Polish what a bad girl I've been," she offered.

Desperate, the woman turned her attention back to her daughter. "Taylor, you come with me right this instant." Taylor shrunk back in fear, and hid behind Summer. She looked to Blair pleadingly, as if begging for her rescue.

"Leave her alone. You can't scare her with us here." Blair turned back to glance at Taylor's expression. "You know what? Better yet, apologize."

"What?!" Taylor's mom was now shaking with fury.

"You heard me. She deserves an apology," Blair said abruptly.

"You must be out of your mind, child! Parents don't apologize to children! I'm her mother, she has to obey me," the woman said in a shrill voice. "Taylor, I'm counting to three, and if you don't come with me, I swear you're going to regret it."

Taylor remained quiet for a second, then looked to Blair for courage. She swallowed hard, and replied in a small voice, "no."

"You think you can just hide behind your friends, don't you? I swear, you're going to regret it! I'm going to take away your car! Your allowance! Your phone, everything!"

"I said NO, Mother!"

Taylor's voice was so loud that all three of them were taken aback. Blair stepped out of the way, seeing that Taylor was now able to speak for herself.

"Blair's right. You treat me like dirt because you hate what you've become. But it's not my fault that Dad's left you. I'm sick of being your punching bag, when all I've wanted was for you to accept me and to be proud of me." She turned back to look at Summer and Blair, who were looking at her with encouragement. "I think I'm going to stay here with my friends. You can go home or go to your Cardio Bar, if my inauguration is too insignificant for your busy schedule." With that, Taylor grabbed the two girls by their arms and walked away, leaving her mother standing alone in the halls.

The three of them walked silently together, arm-in-arm, towards where the assembly was to be held.

"Really, Summer? Our _pal_?" Blair finally said, breaking the silence. The three burst into fits of laughter. They were still laughing about the look on Mrs. Townsend's face when they saw Seth running towards them, looking frantic.

"There you are! Everyone's waiting for you, Taylor! We thought you'd bailed on your own inauguration!" He stopped when he realized that the three of them were walking together, arms linked. "Did I miss something here? Blair…what did you do?" Seth asked suspiciously.

Blair let go of Taylor's arm and gave Seth a kiss. "Nothing you should be concerned about. Just girl talk, right Taylor?" she asked her brightly.

"Right!" Taylor answered just as cheerfully after taking a deep breath. "Alright, I should go. Don't want to keep the crowd waiting. Are you coming, Seth?" she asked, looking a bit uncertain. She glanced at Blair's reaction, trying to gauge whether or not Seth would still be her vice president.

Seth examined Blair's face carefully. "In a bit, Taylor. You go first, I'll follow. I'll just be standing there looking pretty, anyway," he added, waving at Taylor. Taylor mouthed the words "thank you" to Blair before rushing off.

"Soooooo, are you going to tell me what that was all about? Or is this going to be another one of your mysteries?" Seth asked, taking Blair's hands in his.

"Let's just say I realized that we have more than you in common," Blair teased.

"Oh, so now she _has_ me? Are you girls going to take turns with me now that you're all friends?" Seth joked.

"Ew!" Blair and Summer exclaimed in unison, pushing his head roughly.

Blair cleared her throat and spoke in a more serious tone. "Anyway, you were right. I just needed to get to know her. I know where that girl is coming from, that's all," she said with a small smile, reflecting on her own mother, who never ceased to be critical with her.

"Blair Waldorf, look at you! Getting all soft on me! Where's the Original Gangster Blair I knew from before, huh?" Seth asked affectionately, nudging her.

"You turned her into a giant marshmallow!" Summer said with a laugh.

Seth embraced Blair tightly and planted a kiss on the top of her head. Blair wrinkled her nose in false disgust. "Mmmm…Summer's right. I'm losing my swag with you. Can't even execute an original Blair Waldorf scheme without letting my _feelings_ get in the way."

"Well, I'm glad to hear it. I like this side of you. Shows that you're not invincible after all," Seth said earnestly.

"I'm not, Seth. That's another thing I wanted to talk to you about. I know I call myself queen, and walk around the school as if I'm above everyone else," Blair paused as Summer stifled a laugh. "But in reality, I have my weak spots, too. I never want you to think that I treat you as any less than me, because that's not what I think. If anything, you inspire me to be a better person, and you've allowed me to see myself in a more positive light. Thank you for that," Blair said softly, nuzzling him with her nose. Summer cleared her throat loudly behind them.

Blair moved her head away from him slightly. "You'd better go, vice president. Wouldn't want to miss Taylor's epic speech about how she's going to change the world one student at a time," Blair said sarcastically.

"Have I told you lately how wonderful you are, Blair Waldorf?" Seth asked dramatically, swooping her up in his arms and swinging her around effortlessly. Blair let out a girly scream as she felt her legs leave the ground. Summer gagged in the background and gave Seth a push as the three friends ran towards the school hall, just as the crowed erupted into cheers to welcome Taylor Townsend as the official president of the Harbor school student council.


	24. Chapter 20 - The Deed

**A/N: This chapter took me three days to write (it normally takes me only one), and I'm STILL not happy with it, but I wanted to release it sooner rather than later because I knew I had readers waiting... :/**

**More notes at the end of the chapter so I don't spoil you for this one.**

"Come here."

Blair breathed heavily into Seth's ear, sending tingles all the way down his spine. She had made her way on top of him in lightning speed, successfully pinning him down against her soft linens. Seth tried to protest, but Blair placed her index finger seductively against his lips to silence him, letting her eyes do all the talking. Without any moment of hesitation, she worked her way down expertly, removing his light blue Oxford shirt one button at a time, her eyes never leaving his. Seth lied there, defenseless, unsure of what to do next as Blair callously tossed his shirt to the side, not bothering to check where it had gone. She was about to continue when Seth suddenly grabbed her by the waist and flipped her around so that he was now on top.

"This is interesting," Blair sighed dreamily, as she sank deeper into her pillows and waited for Seth to make his move. To her surprise and utter dismay, Seth sprang away from her just moments later, restricting her movement by holding onto both her arms so she couldn't reach out to grab him. He leaned down and kissed her sloppily on her forehead, then her nose, and eventually her lips, making loud smacking noises as his lips made contact with hers. Blair took the opportunity to receive his kiss with her open mouth, attempting to draw him in with her tongue, but he pulled back immediately, as if shocked by an electric current.

"SETH COHEN!"

The sound of Blair's screams made Seth withdraw his arms at once and shield himself in self-defense. As if on cue, Blair grabbed her huge, puffy pillow and threw it at Seth's head, as hard as she could.

"Ow! _That_ killed the mood," Seth protested as the pillow hit him smack in the face, knocking him off her bed entirely. He rolled around until he finally ended up back on his bottom, clutching his forehead in pain.

"What _killed _the mood, Seth Cohen, is you constantly trying to pull away like a fifth-grader who's getting molested by their gym teacher! What is _wrong_ with you? Do you want to do this or what?" Blair's entire body was pulsing with want – no, _need_ – after having Seth pull away from her at the pivotal moment for what seemed like the twentieth time this week. She couldn't seem to get past second base with him, and she was too…well, experienced, for these kinds of mind games.

Seth decided to play dumb. "Want what? You know, what I _really_ want, right now, is to finish that movie that we started an hour ago. Don't you want to find out what happens to Simba after he gets back home? I do!" Seth had enthusiastically suggested watching The Lion King after finding out that they were doing yet another movie night at Blair's – alone. He had hoped that choosing the least romantic movie possible would dampen any frisky mood that Blair might have had. Clearly, he had conveniently forgotten the part where the lion chick landed directly on top of Simba while Eric Clapton asks whether you can "feel the love tonight".

"I'll _tell_ you what happens," Blair said through clenched teeth while she grabbed Seth by his collar and flung him aggressively back onto the bed. "His girlfriend _kills_ him for being an annoying little brat! ARGH!" She slaps him hard with both hands, leaving a mark on his bare chest.

"Ow!" Seth screamed as he scampered away to retrieve his shirt from the top of Blair's dresser, where she had thrown it just minutes ago. He knew he was pissing her off with his resistance, but he wasn't sure how else he could deal with her advances. He decided that his best strategy, for now, was simply to stall her until he had a plan of what else to do.

Seth glanced at Blair tentatively while she sat angrily on her bed, arms across her chest. She was practically panting as she willed herself not to be consumed by her carnal need. _Breathe, Blair, _she commanded herself as she closed her eyes to regain her focus. Just as she thought she had succeeded in reining in her sense of yearning, Seth made his way towards her again, summoning back the feelings that she had just evicted. She moaned in frustration as soon as she felt the warmth of Seth's hand against the small of her back. Blair spun around maniacally and pointed a finger at him.

"Stay there! Don't touch me – get away!" she yelled as she used yet another pillow to increase the distance between the two of them. "Put on your shirt! NOW!" Blair refused to look at him until she was sure that he was fully dressed. Seth fumbled with his buttons clumsily as he climbed back into his shirt, afraid that questioning her demands would make her even more unstable. When she realized that he was finished, she let out a huge sigh of relief, finally allowing herself to relax a little. She fell down into her bed, staring at the ceiling.

"Do you want to cuddle?" Seth finally asked in a small voice. He was afraid to move a single muscle, given his girlfriend's known propensity for violence.

Blair glared at him bitterly. "You must be kidding." She groaned and rolled onto her stomach, her back facing him. "I don't even want to be in the same _room _as you right now."

Blair was a confusing ball of emotions at the moment, but the feeling that she felt more strongly than any others was humiliation. She just couldn't understand why Seth continued to reject her whenever she was in the mood. He was either too tired, or too distracted, or had severe diarrhea. Whatever it was, he seemed to always have a convenient excuse as to why they couldn't just _do_ it.

"I'm sorry, Blair," Seth tried again, opening his mouth to explain, but then clamping it shut after realizing he had no explanation.

Blair put her hands over her ears. "Just – shh! Okay? I'm fine. We're not going to fight because we didn't have sex – again. I would like some alone time, please and thank you. Just shut the door and let yourself out." She didn't wait for his reply as she placed a pillow over her head and buried her face deeper into her sheets.

Seth stood there for a while, feeling awkward, then slowly made his way out of her room and down the stairs. When he was sure that Blair wouldn't be see him, he finally allowed himself to sit at the bottom of her steps and let out a heavy sigh himself. He ran his hand through his curly hair, frustrated at himself for his cowardice. Things hadn't improved in the sexual department for Seth and Blair since his last talk with Ryan. Despite his success with the student council, he still found himself at times intimated by her and afraid to make the next move. And with Blair getting more impatient than ever to move the relationship forward, it seemed that Seth's anxiety towards the matter had only grown – his dreams for the past few nights have been filled with images of Blair with other hot, older, and more experienced men, her legs wrapped around them in a number of compromising positions that made Seth's cheeks grow hot from just recalling. He shook his head in attempt to shun away the mental picture and headed out the door, wondering how on earth he would appease his girlfriend without having to jump in the sack.

* * *

"I just don't know what's wrong with that whiny, immature brat!" Blair complained to Summer as they made their way down the crowded school halls. She made a face as a sweaty jock slammed into her arm, prompting her to dodge to the side. "Why can't he just be a man?"

"Um, hello, have you _met_ Seth Cohen?" Summer asked, rolling her eyes.

Blair frowned. She had a point. Seth was never really a poster boy for raging masculinity. He was more like a delicate little blossom – one that was refusing to be deflowered at the moment. "Okay, fair enough," Blair finally conceded. "So I've made peace with the fact that he's never going to fight wolves for me or anything, but what is the matter with him? I can't fathom how any member of the male species could possibly _not _want sex." _Especially when it's from me_, she silently added.

"There isn't. It's a simple fact of life. Boys like sex. Period. You've just gotta force it out of him – do it the hard way. Offer him something he can't resist," Summer advised, shrugging confidently as she spoke.

"Like what? Show up naked at his room and throw myself on him?" Blair asked sarcastically.

"That could work," Summer said, deep in thought. "Or better yet, _tempt_ him into wanting you. Wear the skimpiest, sexiest bikini you can find, and ask him to oil you up. That'll get him going!"

"Ew! Where do you come up with this stuff? That sounds like something from a tacky after-school special. I am _not_ going to cheapen myself just to catch some silly boy's attention. Such schemes are completely beneath Blair Waldorf," Blair insisted, her nose up in the air.

"So, what are you gonna do? Wait him out? Everything about that boy screams 'virgin'. If you're gonna wait for him to make the first move, you might as well pack your bags and prepare yourself for the convent," Summer retorted, arms crossed.

Blair bit her lip. She knew that Summer was right. Judging from her past failed attempts, Seth would need nothing short of a miracle to get him to open up to her in bed. "Then I will just talk to him and ask him. No more of these guessing games," she declared smugly, making up her mind.

"Uh – hell no!" Summer snapped. "Are you crazy? Sex is like fight club. You don't talk about it. You just _do _it. The only thing more awkward about realizing a guy doesn't want to have sex with you is talking to him about why he doesn't want to have sex with you. I say you either take control of the situation, or get him drunk. There's no other way."

Blair rolled her eyes, annoyed. _Why did he have to be such a girl?_ Blair thought in frustration. If only she could just find a way to help him relax without having to resort to drugging him…

"That's it!" Blair suddenly exclaimed, causing Summer to jump up in surprise. "Seth is just like a needy little girl, right? So he needs a romantic, relaxed environment, where he can unwind and feel safe. All I have to do is make sure that I can provide that for him, and the rest will be easy." She turned to Summer. "Thanks for the input, Summer. Now prepare to hear all about our mind-blowing sex tomorrow." She turned sharply on her heels and made her way through the halls in search of her boyfriend.

* * *

"So, Ryan, here's the thing," Seth started as he skimmed the halls to make sure no one was eavesdropping on their conversation. "Remember about our last man-to-man talk that we had, where I was kind of telling you about my um thing, with Blair?"

"You mean your virginity?" Ryan asked him, point-blank. Seth rushed forward and clamped his hand over Ryan's mouth, paranoid that someone else would find out.

"Do you mind, Ryan? It's kind of privileged information," Seth said in a loud whisper.

"You really think people don't know?"

"Good point."

They moved to a quieter area of the halls before Seth spoke again. "Well, problem is, I haven't told _Blair_ yet, and it's getting really hard to keep fighting off her advances. That woman is determined. She like _wants_ me. And normally, I would find that really sexy, but now I just find it terrifying."

Ryan raised an eyebrow at him. "Were you molested as a kid?"

"What? No!" Seth looked around again. "Although it may have something to do with the fact that my parents can never seem to stop touching each other in front of me. But God, no. That's not it. I just don't think I'm ready yet, that's all."

"Well, why don't you just tell her?" Ryan asked.

"Hmm…that seems like a very wise, simple, straight-forward suggestion, Ryan. You're just forgetting one thing here – Blair Waldorf is anything but simple, and telling her I'm not into sex would basically be the equivalent of telling her I'm into dudes," Seth stated. "Plus, she's probably never going to speak to me again after I avoided one of our _encounters_ again yesterday." He was just about to continue rambling on about his woes when he caught eye of his girlfriend down the hall, heading straight towards him.

"And speak of the devil. I'll leave you two alone," Ryan offered, without waiting for Seth to respond. He saluted to Blair, then disappeared through the corridor.

Seth stood there, unable to move as Blair made her way in his direction. She looked simply divine, dressed in a tight-fitting, semi-sheer blouse which showed off her figure and left just enough to the imagination, and a pencil skirt that hugged her hips tightly in all the right places. Seth gulped loudly, and he felt his stomach do a somersault as he watched her draw near. There was no denying that he had wanted her on several occasions – actually, every occasion, to be honest – but he just didn't trust his skills enough to "jump into" anything yet, so to speak. It was everything he could do not to grab her right then and there and lose himself in her.

"Can we talk?" Blair said in a soft voice, apparently having pacified herself after her previous meltdown.

"Sure," Seth replied, giving her an awkward hug as a greeting. The sexual tension was so strong that he didn't even trust himself to make any kind of prolonged body contact with her without one of them ripping the other's clothes off in open public.

"I'm sorry I kicked you out of my room," Blair said, sighing. "I was just…frustrated, I guess." She wasn't really sure of the right words to say to explain to him that she desperately _wanted_ him. After all, she was used to getting things her way, and the boys just springing to her – not the other way around.

"Hey, what do you say we do something special today, huh? Something romantic and totally different. Forget all these lame movie dates," Seth suggested, trying to cheer Blair up.

"You think our movie dates are lame?" Blair asked in a disappointed voice. But she had a better idea – one that would help ensure that she would get what she wanted. "Actually, I do have an idea," she said to him, growing more excited as she spoke, "don't you think it sucks that we got together in March, where we've just missed all the major holidays? I mean, we've missed Thanksgiving – which is my favourite holiday, by the way – and Christmas – "

" – you mean Chrismukkah – _my_ favourite holiday," Seth interjected.

"Exactly! And also Valentine's day! The most _romantic_ holiday of all!" Blair continued, trying to get to her point.

"Well, we _do_ have Mother's Day coming up, and you know, that _could_ get pretty intense, if you ask me," Seth joked, nudging Blair lightly.

Blair rolled her eyes at him, and turned to him impatiently. "What I'm trying to say is, who says we have to celebrate Valentine's Day in February, anyway? Look, we have a perfectly good weekend ahead of us, and absolutely no plans. You said you wanted to do something special, right? So I declare today our very own official Valentine's Day – just for us." Blair clapped her hands together, looking very pleased with herself.

"Uh-huh…okay, I like that – that sounds good. So you want to ruin a perfectly good weekend by celebrating an overhyped, commercialized, man-made holiday designed to manipulate people into spending extra cash on things that cost normally one-fifth of the price. That's very clever of you, Blair," Seth pointed out sarcastically.

"Very funny, Seth. Are you just afraid that my Valentine's surprise for you will top yours?" Blair teased, leaning towards him seductively.

"Not a chance, Waldorf." Seth moved out of the way before Blair could get any closer. "Prepare to be swept off your feet!" he promised, as he leaned in to give Blair a soft peck on the forehead. She frowned, but Seth could tell she was secretly pleased nonetheless. Seth wasn't really a fan of cheesy "fake" holidays like Valentine's Day, but he figured that it might just set the mood for their "talk". He'd romance her and impress her with his "sensitive" side, and she will find it downright chivalrous of him when he tells her that he wants to wait. He gave himself a satisfied smile and whistled cheerfully as he parted ways with Blair to plan their special day.

* * *

Seth was feeling so antsy that he could barely drive straight. He had swerved off the road twice on his way to Blair's, the second time almost hitting a squirrel. _Just breathe_, he commanded himself as he tried to concentrate on getting there alive. He had spent the entire afternoon preparing for their faux-Valentine's date, and had been feeling completely confident up until five minutes ago, when he climbed into his car. _What if she doesn't like what I had planned? What if she thinks I'm totally lame?_ Seth panicked as he caught a glimpse of Blair's mansion once he turned onto her street. Deciding that he needed a moment to collect himself, he pulled over to the curb and put his head on the steering wheel. He hasn't been this nervous since the first day of high school. He stayed there, in fetal position, until he felt his cell vibrate against his leg.

_I'm waiting._

Was all he needed to see before making a mad dash to her house. He hesitated for just a second when the door magically swung open, as it always did when Dorota knew he would be coming over. She was always there to greet him, showering him with all kinds of Polish delicacies. This time, however, there was no one to be seen, and Blair's extravagant foyer was so quiet that he could hear the echo of his own footsteps as he made his way towards the stairs.

"Hello?" he called out, peering curiously into her living room. He had expected Blair to be waiting there, impatiently tapping her foot, as she demanded to know why he was _only_ two minutes early for their date. He continued to look around until he found a Post-It on her dining room table, clearly written in Blair's flawless cursive, reading:

_No Dorota. Just you and me tonight, baby._

Seth shivered. He hadn't really anticipated any surprise from Blair, but this whole set-up made him feel uncomfortably suspicious about what was to come. He jetted behind the sofa as he tried to scope out his surroundings, looking for something that seemed out of place. A million scenarios flashed through his mind as he searched for more clues. _Will she be waiting for me, naked in the Jacuzzi? Will she pop out of the pantry wearing nothing but a cereal box? _Seth shook his head to dismiss the idea. _Nah, too trashy, _he decided. He tiptoed around the house a few steps further as his heart continued to race. Just as he was about to open his mouth to call her name, he noticed yet another Post-It, attached to the railings of the staircase.

_Find me._

Seth groaned as he realized that there was probably no getting out of this one. He decided that closing his eyes might work to defend himself against her attacks, and made his way up the staircase with both eyes shut, using nothing but his hands to steer himself to the direction of her room.

"Blair?" he called out in a small voice, so afraid that he was ready to pee in his pants. His stomach continued to do flip-flops as he finally stepped into her bedroom, waiting for her to jump out at him.

"Hi there, big guy," Blair purred in a husky voice. "You found me. And here – is your reward."

Seth failed to constrain his curiosity as he heard the sound of a robe, or a towel, falling to the floor. He was so shocked by what he saw that the gift he had been holding slipped out of his hands and toppled all over her carpet.

Blair took a step forward to examine the remains. "Is that… a cake?" she asked, her voice full of surprise. She raised a hand to her chest as Seth rushed forward in attempt to clean up the mess he had made.

"God…I – I – oh my God," Seth fumbled for words and took a giant step back, abandoning the ruined cake, his hands alternating from being thrown on the top of his head to covering up his gaping mouth. "And are you…are you…" Seth took a deep breath before regaining his ability to finish the sentence. "_Catwoman?_" His voice sounded shrill and squeaky, but that was the last thing on his mind at the moment.

Blair stood completely motionless in the middle of her bedroom, her previously alluring expression having entirely dissipated. Seth took the opportunity to get a better look of her getup, which was complete with a mask with cat ears, a plunging leather corset that showed off her chest and her thin waist, and skin-tight leather pants that perfectly outlined the shape of her butt. She wore stilettos that looked more than four-inches tall, and held a long, black whip in her hand.

"Blair…I…I think I have to sit down," Seth finally said, stumbling towards her bed, feeling dizzy. He wanted to say something clever and tell her how wonderful she looked, but seemed to have temporarily forgotten how to speak.

"You don't like it," Blair said dully, her face falling as she struggled to hold back her tears. _Stupid, stupid, STUPID idea, _she scolded herself. She couldn't believe that she went through all this trouble to dress up as a superhero only to look like a world-class idiot.

"No, Blair," Seth said in an exasperated voice, "you look _amazing._" He turned his head to one side and looked away, feeling incredibly humiliated.

"Then what _is _it?" Blair prodded impatiently. The leather was sticking uncomfortably to her skin, and her former frisky mood had all but disappeared.

"I – " Seth started to speak but stopped again, not knowing how to explain to her what was happening without sounding utterly pathetic. He decided, for once, to go with the simple approach. "I baked you a cake."

"You what?! You _baked_ that? For my Valentine's present?" Blair's voice sounded weak and thin, and she took a seat beside him on the bed. "You baked me a cake for a Valentine's gift," she repeated.

"Yes, and if you really want to know, there also happens to be a Cabbage Patch Kid that's waiting for you in the car, so – surprise!" Seth exclaimed in exaggerated excitement, throwing his jazz hands up into the air. "Actually, a Cabbage Patch Kid that happens to be wearing a necklace from Tiffany's, mind you, but that's besides the point since I just walked into my girlfriend who happened to be dressed up as Catwoman while I presented what must be the world's most juvenile present, ever, so – okay. I'm done."

"You think I'm a slut, don't you?" Blair asked quietly.

"What? No! Why would I think that? It's not _about_ you, right now, okay Blair? I don't know why I thought that would be a good idea. I guess I just wanted to do something sweet for you for this made-up Valentine's day, or whatever," Seth rambled on, too lost in his own thoughts to notice that Blair's eyes had welled up with tears.

"It _is_ sweet," Blair answered simply, too tired to elaborate. She glanced at the remains of the cake on the floor. "I guess we have to wait for Dorota to come back to clean that up."

"I'm sorry I disappointed you again, Blair. I didn't know this was what you had in mind," Seth explained, gesturing to her costume.

"Of _course_ you didn't," Blair answered rather bitterly. She wanted to ask him why he didn't want her, even after dressing up as the sexiest superhero she could come up with. She wanted to ask him whether the idea of sleeping with her has ever even crossed his mind. She wanted to know what she could possibly do to make him want her. But she said none of these things, because as Summer said, sex isn't something you talk about – it's something that you just _do. Or fail to do_, she reminded herself.

They looked awkwardly at each other, as if for the first time, realizing that they were in fact strangers, both speaking in an entirely different language. It was Seth who finally spoke up.

"I guess opposites attract," he said.

"I guess so," she replied.

**A/N: I know what you're thinking! God, more angst! Can't they ever just be happy together? WHY COULDN'T YOU JUST LET THEM DO IT, DAMNIT! Because that would be OOC and would not work with the storytelling, and I am not a GG writer. Also, I am always dissatisfied with how most TV shows deal with the topic of sex, so...I'm changing that here. Just bear with me, and I assure you it will all be worth the wait when it happens. And it WILL happen. Just not yet. :)**


	25. Chapter 21 - The Apprentice

**A/N: So it's my longest chapter yet, and in my opinion, well worth the long-windedness. It was the message that I've always wanted to get across, so I hope my readers will enjoy it :)**

**More notes at the end - don't want to give any spoilers!**

"Hey Seth, do you mind if I take the car? I was planning to taking Marissa to – woah." Ryan's voice trailed off when he realized he had caught Seth at a bad time. Seth was frantically closing all the windows on his desktop, but not before Ryan had caught the words "Xtreme XXX horny housewives" flashing across the screen. He turned around immediately, cursing at himself for the intrusion.

"Uh, well that was awkward. Maybe next time, you can try forming a fist with your hand and – " Seth mimed the action of a knock as Ryan turned around apologetically.

"Sorry." Ryan watched as Seth spun back on his chair to face the screen, and buried his head in his hands in frustration. "I would have knocked if I knew I'd be seeing – this," Ryan explained, nodding at the screen. "What are you doing watching this stuff anyway? I thought you weren't into any of that."

"Well, considering I'm a healthy boy who's gone through puberty, I should clarify that I am most definitely into…all of that. Just because I'm not ready yet to go all the way with Blair – who's very attractive, may I add – it doesn't mean that I'm not into _sex_," he spoke the word with great difficulty. "But anyway, that's not why I'm watching. I was thinking…maybe if I can consult some of these…experts, I may have a better chance of impressing her when we finally, you know."

Ryan shot him a look. "You know none of that stuff is realistic, right?"

"Well it's the best I've got. Plus, some of the moves _are_ really impressive. Granted, they're probably all gymnasts with superhuman flexibility, but I figured if I could just get 20% of this stuff down, Blair would be a happy lady," Seth said, scrunching up his face thoughtfully.

Ryan paused for a moment before sprinting towards the screen. "Let me see that." The boys had just opened up all the windows and re-started the video when they were interrupted by the sound of someone else barging through the door. Seth and Ryan both turned around at once in utter astonishment.

"Oh, sweet Jesus! I am so sorry!" Sandy Cohen cried out as he realized what he had just walked into. He knew it was just a matter of time, raising two teenage boys, but the reality of it was a lot more traumatizing than he had imagined.

"God, doesn't anyone ever knock in this house?" Seth yelled as Ryan scrambled to close all the windows yet again.

"Uh – it's not what you think," Ryan jumped into explain. "We were…we were...uh – " he shot a desperate glance at Seth in hopes that he would help him out.

" – conducting some _research_, so to speak," Seth finished for him. Ryan nodded firmly and Sandy's eyes bore into theirs.

"Well, it's nothing to be ashamed of," Sandy responded, shrugging. "Look, I get it. It's perfectly healthy to be curious about this kind of stuff. Or, you know, want something to look at when you're bored. I just didn't expect to catch you two both, you know, well – _together_," he said, looking at them with a curious expression.

"Oh, NO! No, no. Dad, it's not like that. And uh – that's really gross you dirty old man," Seth wrinkled his nose in disgust. "Actually, we were kind of…using it as reference for, you know, when and _if_ me and Blair…"

"Oh!" Sandy nodded in understanding. "Well, I guess it's time to give you the talk, then. Come sit down, kid." Sandy draped his arm around Seth's shoulders and guided him to sit on the bed.

"Um thanks, but no thanks. I know, Dad. Safe sex is good sex. Got it. I will be careful and be responsible. Can we _not_ do this right now?" Seth whined, looking very uneasy.

"Believe me, you and Blair will both thank me in a few years for this talk. Sit," he commanded. "You too, Ryan." The two boys sat complacently at the edge of Seth's bed, looking very uncomfortable.

"I know you're at this age where sex is cool and edgy and spontaneous, but I want you to know that it's not. It's serious, and personal, and important – even more so for the girls. A girl doesn't sleep with you because she wants your body, or thinks you're hot. She gives you her body because she trusts you. It's a sign that she's giving up something really sacred for you. And you should respect that. Don't you lay a single finger on that girl unless you're damn sure that you're ready to commit," Sandy lectured, looking at them both sternly in the eye.

"You mean I have to ask her to _marry_ me? Dad, what century are you from? Besides, I'm pretty sure that's not the problem with Blair. She's so eager to 'give herself up' that it's kind of freaking me out, so you don't have to worry about me _exploiting_ her or anything," Seth waved his hand dismissively at his father.

Sandy relaxed from his position and sat back in Seth's chair. "I don't care how many boys she's been with. Blair's a nice girl, and she deserves your respect. Plus, if she's as eager as you say she is, there are probably some deeper issues there that needs to be worked out before you jump into things with her." Seth and Ryan looked down at the floor to digest what Seth's father had said. After a moment of silence, Sandy rose from the chair. "You boys think about it. I'm gonna go and check on your mother." He patted Seth softly on the shoulder then walked out of the room, leaving the boys alone.

"He does have a point, you know," Ryan said quietly, watching Seth's thoughtful expression. "Maybe you need to figure out what's going on in her head."

"Ryan, you didn't see her face when I showed up in her room with a cake. She was mortified. She couldn't even look at me. What my dad said might have been right when _he_ was a teen like, a million years ago, but girls like Blair – they have sex for breakfast. I'm just gonna have to go with it and hope for the best," Seth said, rising from his seat. "You have any last minute bro tips for me before I head out?"

"Uh…yea. Next time you look at reference materials, don't look under housewives. Blair may be experienced, but I don't think she's _that_ experienced," Ryan commented, throwing another look at the monitor.

"Uh yea, point taken. Wish me luck," Seth said, giving Ryan a brotherly hug before grabbing his hoodie and heading out the door.

"Be careful!" Ryan yelled out after him as he sat back down to think over Sandy's lecture.

Seth wrapped his arms around himself impatiently as he waited. He was covered from head to toe, wearing a black hoodie and his dad's Berkeley baseball cap to help conceal his face from the public. _This must be how it feels to be a celebrity_, Seth thought to himself as he looked around nervously to make sure no one recognized him. Just moments later, he caught sight of a petite brunette, turning her side from one side to another in search of something. He reached out and grabbed her to his side, dragging her back to his hiding spot.

"Ow! Let go of me! I've got pepper spray in my purse and I'm not afraid to use it!" Seth relaxed his grip as soon as Summer spun around threateningly. "Oh. What the hell do you think you're doing, Cohen? And why are you dressed like that?" She reached out in attempt to remove his hood but he stepped back in protest.

"This isn't a game, Summer! I called you here on a very important mission! In fact, I suggest you disguise yourself as well or you will put us both in danger of being discovered," Seth urged, covering her face with his hands and looking around in fear.

"Get your hands off me! What do you want, Seth? I thought you had something serious to talk to me about," Summer whined, pushing Seth's hands away from her so she could straighten out her hair. "If you don't tell me now I'm gonna go. You made me cancel my appointment at the spa to meet up with you!"

"Everything else can wait. Trust me, Summer. This is a matter of life and death with Blair and me, and it is not a joking matter. You could be the one that saves us. Please – just hear me out, okay?" Seth pleaded, putting both hands together.

"You and Blair? Dude, I'm not selling out my friend. Blair and I made a bro pact. My lips are sealed. I'm not going to tell you anything that she said to me about your sex life," she said indignantly, crossing her arms.

Seth leaned towards her eagerly. "So that means she _did_ talk to you about our sex life. I knew it. Please, Summer, I _have_ to know. We had a date last night and it was a total disaster. I think she's going to break up with me, and I _can't_. I can't lose her, Summer. She means – _everything_ to me," Seth said to Summer earnestly.

Summer's expression softened at Seth's genuine confession. "So I guess you guys didn't do it last night?"

Seth shook his head sadly. "I messed up big time. What am I going to do, Summer? Should I just wait for her to dump me? She's going to dump me, isn't she? You can tell me the truth, Summer. I can take it." He closed his eyes in anticipation of the news.

"Quit whining like a little wuss, Cohen! If you really like her, you have to fight for her! Besides, what's your deal? Are you having like, _technical difficulties_ or anything? Why won't you just do it with her, already? Wait –are you waiting for marriage?!" Summer raised her voice in surprise as Seth rushed to silence her.

"No…I don't know what I'm waiting for. It's not that I have an issue with sex before marriage, or an issue with her. I just…I don't know _how_," Seth explained in a loud whisper.

Summer looked at her surroundings, then looked back at him in alarm. "Don't tell me you want to practice with ME!? No way, Cohen! Not even in your dreams! EW!" Summer punched him hard on his arm, then continued to slap him in various places all over his body.

"Ow! NO! God, Summer." Seth lowered his head shyly. "I was wondering if you could come with me to…you know, look at the _equipment_," he explained, throwing his head in the direction of the adult store that was across the street.

"Oooh…kinky," Summer commented, eying Seth over. "Didn't know you were into that kind of thing, Cohen. That's kind of hot."

"Well, I'm not," he confessed. "But I'm guessing Blair is, since she surprised me in a Catwoman getup last night…when I surprised her with a homemade cake and a trusty ol' CPK."

Summer's eyes widened in understanding. "Oh. You poor lost, confused puppy. Let's see what we can do to help you out. I've always wanted an excuse to visit the place to see what they had in there, anyway," she said, leading the way into the store. She stopped and frowned when she saw the 18+ only sign on the door. "You're lucky I'm always prepared," she told him, digging up two fake IDs from her purse and handing on over to him.

"Keith Sanchez…nice," Seth commented, even though the man in the picture looked nothing like him. It didn't seem to matter though, since everyone who worked there looked extremely shady anyway. They made their way to the toy section, where Seth cringed at the sight of all the strange-looking apparatus surrounding them. He held up something that looked like an elaborate animal trap. "I'm pretty sure I saw this in my history textbook as a 16th century torture device," he told Summer, who looked at it in horror.

"I wouldn't touch that if I were you," Summer responded. "Can't really be sure where it's been." Seth flung it away from him violently as soon as the words left Summer's mouth. Summer walked around casually until she saw a g-string in the form of an elephant dangling from a hanger. "This is cute! Maybe Blair likes animals?"

Seth groaned. "Please, get that away from me!" They continued to rummage through the hundreds of props and costumes that filled the shop.

Meanwhile, Blair was also covered from head to toe, her head wrapped in a vintage Hermès scarf and large Chanel sunglasses covering up the other half of her face. She had on her Burberry trench coat that she wore specially for sleuthing, and a pair of Tory Burch flats for an easy getaway. _This would be so much easier if Newport had its own Gossip Girl_, Blair thought in frustration, as she peered through her binoculars to get a better look of what Seth and Summer were doing in the sex store. Normally, she would be relieved to see that Seth seemed finally ready to explore his sexual limits, but one can never be too careful – especially when he was in there with his lifelong crush. Blair felt a slight twinge of jealousy as she wondered why Seth hadn't asked her instead.

"Blair? What are you doing here – and with those binoculars?" a familiar voice snapped Blair back into reality.

She glanced up and realized that it was Luke Ward, looking as handsome as ever, who was now observing her with an expression of concern. "Luke." Blair greeted him as calmly as possible. "How did you recognize me?"

Luke snorted. "Please, Blair. Who else in the O.C. would be wearing a Burberry trench in May?" Luke walked up to her as she wrinkled her nose in disappointment. "Is everything going alright with Seth?" he asked.

_Darn. Why hadn't he been this intelligent when they were still dating? _she wondered. Blair cleared her throat. "We're fine, Luke. It's just a little game we like to play. You know, spicing things up a little bit. Nothing that concerns you," she said to him in a dismissive tone.

Luke appeared a little hurt at her response. "You know, Blair, just because we broke up, it doesn't mean we can't be friends."

Blair sighed in defeat, realizing that she had come off a little mean towards Luke. "I would love to stay and chat, Luke. But I'm kind of in the middle of something, and you happen to be standing in my way, so I'll talk to you at school, hmm?" she offered, flashing him a plastic smile.

Luke glanced in the direction of her binoculars, just as Seth and Summer's heads peeked out on top of the dark blinds that covered the shop windows. "Hey is that…Seth? With…Summer? Are they –"

Blair cut him off before he could continue. "Don't make assumptions!" she snapped at him. She paused, looking at the two of them inside the store, and began to doubt her own confidence. "Though I _should_ ask, for curiosity's sake, what does it look like to an outsider like yourself?"

"I _could_ just go in and find out, you know. Would save you a lot of time and trouble," Luke told her.

Blair's face lit up immediately. "You could?" she shrieked, then regained her composure. "Well, not that it's really necessary, but you know, it can't hurt." She hoped he would get the hint, and Luke didn't disappoint.

"Gotcha. Will let you know once I hear…or see anything. No worries, okay, Blair Bear?" Luke waved at her and headed to the store, while Blair gave him another encouraging smile. The smile vanished right away as soon as Luke disappeared into the shop. Seeing Luke of all people complicated things even further. She briefly wondered why sex had never been an issue between the two of them, despite his intellect, or lack thereof. Heck, it wasn't even a problem with Chuck or Nate. _What if this is a punishment from God_, she thought with dread. _What if I'm destined to choose between having a horrible boyfriend with great sex or a perfect boyfriend but no sex? _Blair literally felt sick to her stomach as she contemplated the situation she was in. Just then, her phone beeped, and she opened a message from Luke, with a picture attached.

Blair gasped. In the picture was Seth, who was holding up what appeared to be a gay porn magazine featuring a hot, muscular male model wearing nothing but a bowtie. Blair read the message attached frantically:

_Saw homeboy touching the mag, heard him say "Dis is what I need." Feel free 2 inteprete._

Blair frowned deeply. So Luke's spelling hasn't improved. But it seemed that Blair's worst nightmare had come true – she always knew there was something about Seth that made him special…different. He was sensitive, needy, indecisive – all suspiciously effeminate qualities. This fact, coupled with his liking of men in tight spandex and his unwillingness to have sex with her brought her no choice up to come to one single conclusions. It all made sense now: Seth Cohen is gay, and Blair was his cover girlfriend.

Blair sat at her vanity table quietly, brushing through her long, silky hair, and deliberating on what to do about Seth. Should she expose him? But that would be embarrassing for the both of them, nevermind downright mortifying for Blair once everyone finds out. Should she just wait for him to come out of the closet himself? But she didn't know how long she could keep up this charade for. Frankly, it didn't seem all that uncommon now that she thought about it, considering Serena had told her just about a week ago that the same thing happened to Jenny Humphrey with her new high society boyfriend. _But that's Little J! _she protested in her head. _I'm me! Blair Cornelia Waldorf! How dare he play me for a fool?_

As if on cue, the sound of Seth's voice broke through Blair's thoughts as he appeared in her bedroom. She turned around to see him, still covered from head to toe in his disguise. With a heavy heart, she forced herself to give him a smile to greet him. "Suffering from a case of measles? Smallpox?" she asked cheerfully, trying to distract herself from her sour mood.

"Um, not quite. Listen, Blair, I know I've been sending you a lot of mixed signals lately," Seth paused as Blair nodded along suspiciously, "but I wanted to make it up to you. So I present you – " Seth raced back to peep through her bedroom door to check that Dorota wasn't nearby, then closed the door tightly behind him. He unzipped his hoodie and removed it, along with his pants, in one quick motion, revealing his Batman costume. " – this."

Blair let out a shrill scream as her hands flew to her mouth in surprise. "Ahhh!"

"Miss Blair?" Dorota called out from downstairs, "Everything okay?"

"It's okay, Dorota! Just ignore everything you hear in the next…two hours or so!" Seth called out to reassure her. He took a few steps towards Blair, arms outreached. "Okay, I know I hardly have the abs or the shoulders to pull it off, but you have to admit, it's pretty awesome, right?" He turned around to show off his butt, wrapped tightly by the black spandex, and flexed it slowly, causing Blair to scream for a second time.

"Seth Cohen! I've had it with you! I thought I could try to outlast you, but this is simply unacceptable! If you didn't want to have sex with me, you could have just told me openly instead of doing…whatever it is you're doing. Are you _mocking_ me?" she asked in disbelief and she threw his clothes at him.

"Mocking you? What do you mean? I _do_ want to have sex with you! Why else would I be dressed like this in the middle of your room if I didn't? Does this really strike you as casual attire, Blair?" he asked sarcastically, motioning at himself.

Blair refused to be consoled and paced around her room in frustration. "I can't believe you. What kind of teenage boy would dress up as Batman if he really wanted to have sex with his girlfriend?"

"Um, _excuuuse_ me," Seth responded, dipping his head back defensively, "but I don't make the rules. You showed up last night as Catwoman, and I thought I'd just play along. It's not _my_ fault you're into that kind of thing. I did all those just so I could please you! I thought you'd be happy."

"_Happy_?" Blair exclaimed. "You thought I'd be _happy_? You thought I'd be happy learning that my boyfriend is secretly _gay_ and confided in one of my only real friends in Newport instead of myself, and uses lame excuses to dodge having sex with me? Please, I know I have been blind, but now I see. Save the act, Cohen. And here I thought you were different from the boys back home. But you turned out to be such a disappointment, and complete _scum_, just like them!" Her voice rose as she tried to control her temper.

"Blair, you think I'm _gay_?!" Seth stared at her in shock, then began to laugh. He laughed so hard that he fell onto his knees, holding his stomach. He knew that Blair was seething, but the idea was so ridiculous to him that he couldn't contain himself.

"What part of this is funny to you, you freak!?" she reached out and grabbed a handful of his hair, threatening him. "I'm warning you, if any word of this gets out, I swear to you – "

"Oh, Blair," Seth breathed out suddenly, wrapping her tightly in his arms. "You silly little goose."

"What are you _doing_? What – off – of – me!" Blair struggled and tried to bat him away with all her might, but to no avail. Seth's death-grip was simply too strong. "Get your dirty hands away from me, you classless cling-on!" she resorted to yelling.

Seth waited for a good five minutes for Blair's energy to wear off before letting go of her. She collapsed to the ground in exhaustion, while Seth's forehead dripped with sweat from the brawl, still in his Batman costume. They both sat back on the floor, panting breathlessly. "So, this is kind of hot," he said to her finally, examining Blair's cheeks that were flushed from the action.

"Why, do I look like a man right now?" Blair snapped back at him.

Seth laughed again, but Blair's glare prompted him to mute it right away. "Blair, I'm not gay," he said to her gently.

"Oh yeah? Prove it," she challenged him.

That was all the invitation he needed. He pounced on her eagerly, attacking her lips as if they contained her deepest, darkest secrets, unraveling them with each flick of his tongue. He allowed his tongue to explore every crook and curve of the insides of her mouth, as if trying to note down its contents. Blair kissed back, hungry and desperate for more of what she had been wanting for so long now. Seth's lips continued to flutter across her face, to her ears and then down to the nape of her neck. She moaned deliciously in response, as she felt the wetness of his tongue trace circles down the length of her neck, travelling to her ear, then back. Seth stopped for a moment to catch his breath, and Blair took the opportunity to hold him so she could study his face.

"You're not gay," she confirmed, gasping.

Seth flashed a cocky smile then continued where he left off, as Blair grabbed at his tight, elastic one-piece eagerly. She struggled to wriggle him out of the costume, but to no avail – this getup was definitely _not_ bedroom-friendly. She had no idea what business they had selling such things in a sex store, of all places. "Seth – undress," she barked at him. He scrambled to peel away the costume as quickly as possible, but his sweat from their previous scuffle made the fabric adhere to every inch of his skin.

"I can't," he answered finally, lying flat on his back in defeat. He was exhausted from the previous adrenaline rush and his attempts at unwrapping himself.

"Arghhh!" Blair cried in irritation, lying next to him on the floor. "It's like we're jinxed. I must have pissed off the sex god or something. We're just never going to be able to have sex like a normal, healthy couple!"

"Um, I hate to break it to you Blair, but normal healthy couples usually don't try to have sex in superhero costumes after thinking the other person is gay," he joked, wiping off his sweat with the back of his hand.

"I don't get how you could still be joking after all of this!" Blair exclaimed. "Doesn't it bother you that we literally have _no_ sex life? A relationship without sex is doomed to fail."

Seth chewed on his lip thoughtfully and allowed her words to sink in. He remembered his dad's lecture from this morning, and thought carefully as he spoke. "You really think that, Blair? That our relationship sucks without sex?"

Blair hesitated, caught off-guard by his question. "Well, no," she admitted slowly. "I don't think our relationship sucks. I just feel like…like I'm not attractive to you or something. Like you don't really _want_ me," she said in a small voice.

Seth turned his head slightly to face her, but Blair looked away. "Is that really what you think, Blair? You think I don't like you because I don't want to have sex?" he asked in surprise.

"Well, yeah, what other explanation can there by?" Blair wondered aloud, her eyes welling up with tears again. "I mean, what guy wouldn't want to have sex with his girlfriend – especially when she basically serves it up to him on a platter? The only conclusion I could come up with is that you just don't find me all that attractive," she finally professed.

Seth sat up from his position and grabbed Blair by the shoulders. "You must be crazy if you think I don't think you're attractive." Blair turned around to look at him. "You are the most beautiful, appealing, _stunning_ girl – woman – I have ever met. Sometimes, I can't even get it through my head that someone like you would go for a nobody like me. I'd be blind if I said I wasn't turned on by you," he told her earnestly.

Blair couldn't contain her tears any longer, and allowed them now to flow openly down her cheeks. "Well then, what is it? Is it because I scare you? Is it because you think I'm too open – too casual with sex?" She felt ashamed as the words left her mouth, and more vulnerable than ever about her dark past.

Seth shook his head firmly. "Of course not. I would never judge you in that way. I'm just worried I won't…live up to your expectations, that's all. I mean, I've never asked you about any of that, because I want to respect you, and I know everyone has a past. But I can imagine that you and I are on a different…_level_." Seth paused to take a deep breath. "Besides, I come from a family that believes that sex is really important, and I want to make sure that we're on the same page with each other before we get into that," he finished.

Blair stayed silent for a moment, thinking about what he had just said. "Why couldn't you have just _told_ me that?"

Seth sighed. "Well, you know, it's not exactly _cool_ to admit that you want to wait, and it seemed that you really wanted it. I just didn't know how to explain without sounding like…well, _gay_." They both kept silent, until Blair suddenly giggled. Seth shoved her playfully and then started to laugh as well. Blair laughed between her tears, sobbing and giggling as if she were a crazy person. Seth reached over to give her another warm hug.

"You know, we don't need to have sex to be happy together," he said to her, hoping she'd understand.

"Well I don't want to pressure you into anything you're not ready for," she said to him, even though she felt slightly disappointed.

"Blair Waldorf, I know that you may see sex as a way to cement a relationship, and as a sort of sign that it's real, but it's not like that with me, okay? I don't see you as someone just to mess around with. I see you as you – intelligent, funny, beautiful as hell, and more determined and special than anyone I've ever met. I don't need your body to be into you," he said to her, his eyes piercing deep into her soul.

Blair swallowed the lump that had gathered at her throat. "Well, Seth Cohen, that just may be the single sweetest, most romantic thing anyone has ever said to me." She leaned in to give him a soft kiss on the lips. "Let's take it slow, okay?"

Seth nodded, placing his lips against her forehead as she curled her head to fit snugly on his shoulder.

"Let's."

**A/N: So I took my loyal reader Rf's ideas and worked it into my original plan. Thanks for the input! I've actually been following up on all the other input as well, and will try my best to incorporate some of your ideas. They're great so far! It's really cool that I have so many reviews now that give me such useful feedback. Keep them coming! Again, I hope I didn't want to disappoint to many of you by holding them back from finally doing it. Like Seth, I just want the moment to be special, and I want Blair to feel respected and open about it, for once. Some things need to be worked out first before we get into that.**

**Thanks for the continued support! Another fun, new chapter coming real soon! :)  
**


	26. Chapter 22 - The Game

**A/N: A looooong, a little pointless, chapter with some Bleth bonding time. This will be kind of a buzz-kill for anyone not familiar with the titles mentioned, but it was kind of fun for me to write. It took especially long since I had to do a little research for it. :)**

**Hope you guys like it!**

Blair hummed cheerfully to herself as she checked her reflection in the mirror. It was another Saturday morning, and Blair had given Seth the permission to sleep at his own house last night, marking their first Friday night apart since their last big talk. It was a little strange for Blair, feeling so secure and confident in a relationship. For once, she didn't feel in the least paranoid about his whereabouts, and how he felt about her. She sighed happily as she made her way downstairs to enjoy the breakfast that had been laid out by Dorota. _Nothing like a quiet morning all to myself_, Blair thought as she settled into her chair and gazed at the arrangement of fresh croissants and bagels stacked in front of her.

"Morning, Miss Blair," Dorota greeted her, putting the newest issues of all her favourite magazines next to her. Ever since her exhausting journey of dating Seth Cohen, Blair had had little time to catch up on the latest gossip and fashion trends on the UES. In fact, she had been so distracted that she had forgotten to check Gossip Girl for the fifth day in a row now. She flipped aimlessly through the pages, suddenly realizing that she had lost interest in the recycled stories in the tabloids – another shocking pregnancy, another break-up, another hook-up, and another nose job. She rolled her eyes as her gaze wandered to her phone, realizing that it was already ten in the morning, and Seth hadn't called her yet. She was still staring thoughtfully at her phone when Dorota cleared her throat.

"Miss Blair – Mr. Seth probably still sleeping," she reminded her lightly, knowing full well what Blair had on her mind.

"I know that," Blair snapped, slightly embarrassed that she had been so transparent. "I was just wondering whether I should save him some of this for breakfast, that's all." Blair gave Dorota the stare-down until the housekeeper finally retreated back to the kitchen, and immediately began to feel restless. She knew that Seth would call her as soon as he was awake, and God forbid she turn into one of those clingy, needy girlfriends that wanted to spend every single waking moment with their boyfriends! _Nope_, she decided. She was just going to enjoy her breakfast and her quiet day alone.

Blair arrived at the Cohen residence exactly half an hour later, a bag of fresh croissants and bagels in her hand. Despite Dorota's string of protests, Blair had decided that it was proper to pay Seth a visit at home to make sure he would wake up to a hearty breakfast on a Saturday morning – just as he was accustomed to having at her place after their usual Friday nights together. Blair rang the doorbell once, and was fully prepared when Sandy Cohen swung open the door, his thick eyebrows raising in surprise as he caught sight of her.

"Ah, Blair! What a sight for sore eyes," he said, stepping aside to let her in. "We weren't expecting you!"

Blair gave him her best elegant and composed Waldorf smile. She had spoken to Seth's dad on a couple of occasions when she was waiting for Seth to pack a few items for his sleepovers, but they had spent the majority of their time together at Blair's. She had to admit she didn't have much experience dealing with "normal" parents, having grown up on the Upper East Side. No one there wanted to talk about their children except to brag about what Ivy League colleges they would be applying to. But Blair knew from Sandy's raised-eyebrows expression every time he saw her that he approved of her.

"Hello, Mr. Cohen," she replied sweetly. "I'm guessing Seth is still sleeping. It's okay, I know my own way to his room. We'll just be a moment until I drag his slothful rear end downstairs so we could enjoy these delicious baked goods I've brought over. I have bagels," she added, remembering that Seth had said that his father could be bribed to do basically anything with sesame bagels.

"Why, that's very sweet of you!" Sandy's voice boomed. "But actually, you may want to join us for breakfast in the dining room instead. Seth's up already and my wife and I are cooking up some bacon and pancakes this morning. But good thinking on the bagels." He winked at her as he led her to their living room, where she was surprised to see Seth and Ryan, sitting on the floor playing video games, still dressed in their pajamas.

"Seth," Blair tried to greet him as calmly as possible seeing his entire family would be witnessing the confrontation.

Seth looked up momentarily, seeing Blair. "Oh, hey Blair! Just give me a moment, okay? This isn't really a good time. Ryan and I just have to take care of this – " His sentence ended abruptly as he pounded on his Playstation 3 controller furiously. Blair fumed as she watched him, completely engrossed in the game and ignoring her as if she were completely invisible. After what seemed like an eternity, Seth threw down his controller and tossed his arms up in the air in victory.

"That's right! I'm sorry, Ryan, but what did I tell you? Who's the all-time champion of Mortal Kombat?" he cupped his hand around his ear mockingly while Ryan gave him a blank stare. He rushed to Blair excitedly, jabbering away. "Did you _see_ that? Did you see how I totally kicked his ass? That was epic." Blair stared back at him emotionlessly.

Ryan rose to his feet immediately. "Uh, I'm gonna see if Sandy and Kirsten need some help setting the table."

"So…how long have you been playing for?" Blair asked as casually as possible as soon as Ryan had left the room.

Seth shuffled his feet. "Um, not long. Maybe just…an hour or two. We woke up at like, nine, and we figured we had some time to kill before starting our day so…you know, just boys catching up," he explained, half-afraid for his life although he wasn't sure why he had to be.

"You've been playing this for TWO HOURS?!" she asked in disbelief.

"Not just this. We were actually playing some GTA earlier, but it got kind of old so we switched it up – "

Blair rolled her eyes impatiently, reminding herself to keep her voice down. "What I _meant _was," she said through her teeth, "you played _video games_ for two hours?" _Instead of calling me_, she added to herself. She crossed her arms to wait for his reply.

Seth's head snapped back, confused. "Did we have plans?"

Blair frowned, looking flustered. She wasn't sure how to respond. "Well…no, but I just thought you would have called me as soon as you woke up," she muttered under her breath.

Seth opened his mouth to explain, but was interrupted by the sound of Sandy's voice. "Seth! Blair! Breakfast is ready!" Blair glared at Seth as if to let him know that the conversation wasn't over, then followed him begrudgingly into the dining room.

As sour as her mood was, Blair couldn't help but to be pleasantly amazed at the arrangement of breakfast foods on the Cohen table. Sure, Blair always had enough food for a twelve-person buffet during her breakfasts with Serena at the Waldorf's, but they never had any of this cozy, warm, all-American food. She feasted her eyes on the plates of freshly fried bacon, eyes sunny-side up and poached, stacks of pancakes – both blueberry and chocolate chip, white and brown toast, sesame and plain bagels, and a platter of every single type of spread imaginable – from cream cheese, to peanut butter, to peach jam. Her croissants looked out of place and highly unnecessary next to the Cohens' impressive display.

"I hope you're hungry," Sandy joked as he took a seat at the table and motioned for her to do the same.

Blair took a seat next to Seth and nodded politely to Sandy's wife, Kirsten. This was actually their first time meeting, since Seth's mom was always working at the office. Seth had told her that the majority of the Cohens' wealth came from his mom's side, and that as a result, she could sometimes be a little snobby and uptight. She found herself impressed by his mom's poise and beauty, even at her age. She actually reminded her a little of Serena's mom, but less plastic. "Hello, Mrs. Cohen," she greeted her, tipping her head.

"Call me Kirsten," she replied, giving her a small smile. "Seth's told us a lot about you."

Blair relaxed a little and smiled. "I'm sure he has."

"Well it's nice of you to return him to his family this weekend. I feel like I haven't seen my own son for weeks!" Kirsten joked suddenly, while Ryan and Sandy cleared their throat nervously.

Blair decided to bite her tongue and opted for a more graceful response. "Well I'm sure you were glad to see him back in his natural habitat this morning, slaving away on his Playstation." They all laughed at Blair's charm.

"Do you like video games, Blair?" Kirsten asked, pleased that her son's girlfriend had a sense of humor.

Blair looked at Seth meaningfully as she answered. "No, I would rather dedicate my time to more productive causes."

"Oh? What do you like to do in your spare time?" Sandy asked curiously while he bit into a bagel.

Blair opened her mouth to answer but Seth answered for her. "Shopping, gossip, giving instructions to her girl-pack, aaaaand planning world domination." Everyone laughed except for Blair.

She made a face at him. "Very funny, Seth. In fact, _Sandy_, back in New York, where I'm from, I spent most of my spare time at the MET, interacting with post-modern and impressionist art pieces and reading classic literary works by esteemed feminist authors."

Kirsten smiled warmly at her. "That sounds very impressive, Blair." They ate the rest of their meal in a similar fashion, going over countless topics, from when Seth was going to get a haircut, to Ryan's musical debut in Chino. Blair rose to help Kirsten with the dishes, but Sandy stopped her.

"Oh, I'll help. Give me a chance to impress my wife, will you? You've done enough of that already," he teased, making Blair smile. "You go and hang out with the boys. Leave the dirty work to me." He patted her gently on the back, and it gave Blair so much satisfaction to know that she had aced her first real meeting with Seth's parents, even though it had not been planned.

She practically pranced back to the living room, where she found Seth and Ryan nestling back into their spot on the floor, continuing the video game where they had left off. She stopped dead in her tracks as she realized that he could probably go on all day if she didn't say anything.

"Well, looks like the parents like you," Seth said to her while he mastered a combo-attack to send Ryan's avatar flying into the air.

"And looks like you know nothing about your girlfriend! Shopping, gossip and world domination? You might as well say that I'm Miley Cyrus's biggest fan!" she complained as she took a seat in Seth's couch, watching them play.

Seth gave a laugh in response, but was obviously too distracted with his video game to continue the conversation. Blair gave it another five minutes before she walked up to the TV and turned it off, leaving the boys staring straight at her in utter shock.

"What? Blair, I almost had him!" Seth whined, throwing one hand into the air in protest. Ryan placed the controller beside him silently as he watched the confrontation unfold.

"Give me a break! It's a video game – meaning, not _real_. Who cares how good you are at fighting in virtual reality? Besides, I am not going to sit here all day watching you play a video game," she said, crossing her arms.

"First of all, I can say on Ryan's behalf, that to be fair, he's pretty good at fighting in real life, too. Second of all, don't knock it 'til you try it," he held out his controlled to Blair, offering it to her.

"Are you out of your freaking mind? I don't have to play to know that video games kill brain cells. Some of us prefer real life achievements, and have real life goals without having to build our self-worth around our success on a bunch of games. I don't have that kind of time to waste," she replied, offended that he had even suggested it.

Seth smirked at her cockily. "You know what, Blair? I think that you're just afraid that you'll lose to me, and that there's finally something that you wouldn't be good at – even if you tried." He stared right into her eyes as if to challenge her.

"Video games are for geeks and low-lives, the kind of people who never see the light of day because they're too busy fantasizing about a bunch of Japanese girls wearing basically bikinis when they fight. But sure, Seth, defend yourself, because we all know if I beat you, I will cut off the only single fragile piece of thread that your dignity is hanging on," Blair replied curtly.

"Your stereotype of video-game lovers show just how little you know about the art. There's more to video games than just combat games," Seth snapped back, slightly offended. He paused, his mind reeling as he realized just the thing to do to put Blair in her place, plus buy himself some much-needed time with his video games. "How about this, Blair," he proposed, "you stay in this weekend, with Ryan and I, and we spend time the Seth Cohen way, where we will give you the full experience of a life with video games. We will introduce to you the best of the best, and – if you beat me in _any_ one of those games, I will admit defeat and I will spend four consecutive weekends with you doing whatever it is you want. How 'bout it?" Seth watched Blair eagerly as she considered his offer, ignoring Ryan's look of warning.

Blair took a step towards him and shoved him onto his couch with a single finger. "How about this," she said, raising the stakes, "I beat you at _more_ than one of those games, and you promise to never play video games again and donate your PS3 to the orphans."

It was Ryan who spoke up. "Don't do it, Seth. I'm not sure – "

Seth stood up and grabbed Blair's hand to shake it. "Deal." Ryan looked at him as if he had lost his mind. Seth placed an arm around Blair, and another around Ryan. "Relax, Ryan! What is Seth Cohen good at? Paranoia, sarcasm, comic books, aaand video games. We've got this." Blair gave Seth a sweet smile as she settled into the couch to wait for Seth to find an appropriate game to challenge her with.

Seth rummaged through his extensive video game collection and tried to find a game that would be challenging, but fun for Blair's first taste of video games. He considered Silent Hill – _no, too scary_; Zelda – _no, too hardcore_; Mario Chase – _nope, too pointless_. He sighed as he realized that he couldn't think of an appropriate starter game for Blair on any of his three consoles without seeing the image of Blair, rolling her eyes at him. Blair waited and peeked over Seth's shoulder to see what he had in store for her. Then, with a sparkle in her eye, she walked over and appeared to randomly pick up a game and hand it to Seth.

"This one looks kind of interesting. Here – put that in," she said, handing him the Guitar Hero case. She looked at him innocently as he eyed her suspiciously.

"Blair, you _do_ know I can play the guitar, right? Remember that night at the Bait Shop? Are you sure you want to start with this one?" Seth asked with a raised eyebrow.

Blair gave him a confident smile. "Well, the more satisfying it will be when I beat you," she replied. "Are we going to play, or what?" Blair watched as Ryan held back his laugh and helped Seth to hook up the guitar controllers for the game. She couldn't wait to surprise Seth with her hidden Guitar Hero skills – after all, she was best friends with Serena van der Woodsen, and she didn't hold a Japanese-themed party for her 17th birthday without at least _some_ practice.

To make it more convincing, Blair sat through the entire tutorial, asking questions at the right places with her trademark doe-eyed expression. Seth patiently walked her through the controls, assuring her that she should get the hang of it once she starts playing.

"To be fair, I'll let you have a few practice runs before we battle. But honestly Blair, I'd be okay if we switched to another game instead. This is a hard one for newbies," he explained to her.

Blair couldn't wait to see the look on Seth's face when she totally kicks his ass in. She scrolled through the menu and selected Thunderstruck by AC/DC – one of the most difficult songs of all time. She tried to look as nonchalant as possible when Seth shook his head at her choice and shifted his focus onto the game. The song started and Ryan stepped back to watch the two get at it, both Blair and Seth moving their bodies along as they played on their guitars. Blair was feeling rather confident, although she did struggle to catch up to the speed of the song at times. To her shock and complete horror, she glanced over at Seth only to find him playing with his eyes closed. She stopped just long enough to realize how darn attractive he looked rocking on his guitar, totally unfazed by the tricky riff. If it weren't for how much Blair hated losing at basically anything, she would have just given up on the damn game and pulled him upstairs to have her way with him. Blair threw her guitar down dejectedly as the screen flashed with the words "Player 1 rocks" across the screen, while Seth ran his hand through his thick hair, giving her a shy smile.

"That wasn't fair," Blair protested, feeling like a sore loser.

"Uh-huh. You thought I wouldn't notice that you knew how to play Guitar Hero. That was pretty sneaky of you, Blair. Good thing little old me here came prepared," Seth answered, shaking his head.

Blair narrowed her eyes at him. "Okay, fine. You got me. So you're pretty good at Guitar Hero, I'll give you that. And it's not like it gave me any unfair advantage considering you could probably play that in your _sleep_," she said, not as any sort of compliment.

"Oh come now, darling," Seth said to Blair, draping his arm around her while she pushed it away, "we've still got a whole day ahead of us. How about you let me choose this time, see if we can find something that would level the playing field."

"I don't trust you," she hissed at him, still angry from her loss. She turned to Ryan instead. "Can I trust you to remain neutral?"

Ryan shrugged. "Sure, I'll pick." He walked over to the video game collection and pulled out one randomly without even looking. "Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2."

Seth pumped his fists into the air. "Yes, oh my God, Ryan, _yes_. Thank you, Ryan. And sorry, Blair, but I've got this one."

"This looks stupid," Blair remarked, looking over the cover, which consisted of two ninjas staring intensely ahead of them.

Seth spun around immediately. "Do not even say that, or I will have to rethink this entire relationship." He popped the game into his PS3 and drummed his fingers impatiently as he waited for it to load. The menu screen popped up moments later as a blonde ninja with whiskers jumped from one option to another, freezing in strange poses. Seth chose the free game mode and the next menu revealed too many characters for Blair to even count. "Here, I'll choose TenTen, who must be like, the crappiest character of all time to give you an edge. And you can pick Sasuke. He's probably one of the best." He expertly pressed a few buttons and waited for Blair to respond.

"Who on earth is Sasuke?" Blair demanded, looking as lost as ever.

Ryan watched as Seth threw Blair a look of disbelief, looking as she had just asked who Abraham Lincoln was. "Um…the guy with the black hair, right there," he offered, hoping to do both of them a favour before someone's neck got snapped.

Blair shrugged and selected it, and before she knew it, they were both launched into a 360-degree battle ground in a ninja town. She frowned at her remote control, not having a single clue whatsoever what she was pressing. She pushed down furiously on every single button on the controller and threw her character aimlessly around the screen, launching whatever attacks she could.

Seth expertly dodged every single one of her random attacks, firing out 24-hit combos that sent Blair's Sasuke flying into the air. Blair rammed her fingers on the controller hopelessly as she watched her health bar decline drastically with every hit, while she had barely managed to touch Seth's character.

"Oh, how do you like that, huh Sasuke? Let me give you some of this," he said, launching yet another attack with his ninja stars that hit Blair's character squarely in the face.

"Ow! Shut up, Seth! Who talks to video game characters?" Blair said, frantically trying to run away now, from Seth's Tenten.

"Oh but you haven't seen the best of Tenten yet. Let me give you some of that," he taunted as his character unrolled what appeared to be a set of scrolls that smacked her character to his death. Seth put his controller down calmly. "And that is how it's done," he said solemnly as he raised his hands towards Ryan for a high-five. Ryan shot him a look and glanced at Blair, hinting for Seth to do the same. Seth slowly let his arms fall back to his sides.

"That was pathetic. No wonder why you're so good at them! They require no skill at all! How is it fair that you already know all the buttons for the combinations? I barely had a chance," Blair exclaimed, pouting heavily now. This was not looking good, and it seemed to her that she just may have underestimated her loser boyfriend. This was obviously his turf.

"Aww you poor baby. Do you want me to play the next game with my eyes closed, too?" Seth sneered at her.

"Shut up, you smug know-it-all. You just have an unfair advantage because we're playing all these boy games. There's got to be a game that you don't spend as much time playing," Blair declared, wishing that she could strangle him right then and there.

"There _is _that giant ball-rolling one that we gave up on," Ryan brought up casually.

Seth turned around immediately to glare at Ryan. "Katamari? That game's completely _pointless_. She wouldn't like it," he insisted, scrunching up his nose and shaking his head.

"_She_ thinks it sounds _perfect_. Thank you, Ryan," Blair said pointedly, crouching down to retrieve the game. She examined the cover, which consisted of a bizarre ball of random things and the words _Katamari Forever_. "This looks kind of funky, but just different enough so that _you_ wouldn't have mastered it. This one it is." She popped the game into the PS3 while they waited for it to load.

Blair and Seth both took turns going through the wacky, colourful levels of the game. The concept was simple enough for Blair to handle – they had to roll up everything around the room to make their ball as big as possible, rolling up things as big as furniture and actual people. _Leave it to the Japanese_ _to make a game out of rolling up the world_, Blair thought, as she successfully rolled up a whole village of farmers and their pigs. She hated to admit it, but she was actually kind of having fun. The whole process helped her de-stress from her earlier embarrassment of losing to Seth. They were both neck-in-neck with one another until they reached a stage in which they were required to roll up the most expensive items in the shopping mall.

Blair laughed out loud and could not contain her own excitement. "So, I have to play a game in which I have to make the most expensive ball? I just don't see how I could lose this one," she bragged to Seth. And she was right. Blair was so happy about her first win that she couldn't wait to rub it in Seth's face. "What was that you were saying, Seth? I believe you once called yourself king of video games? Looks like someone has to bow to the _queen_," she said with a smirk.

Seth rolled his eyes in contempt. "That's just one win, Blair, out of like, a million. Don't get too cocky now." He shut the game off without a word of warning to Blair, who had just started a new level rolling up flowers. "That was a stupid game anyway." He turned back to face her. "Okay. Last one. Whoever wins this one wins it all. Deal?"

Blair hesitated, but wasn't ready to back down. "Deal. Just don't cry when I beat you at your own game, _literally, _okay?"

"Don't count on it. Ryan? Would you please do us the honour?" Seth gestured towards the video games and stepped aside to allow Ryan to choose a game for them.

"Okaaaay, let's do another random one," he said, picking one up from the bottom of the drawer. "L.A. Noire. Detective game."

"Ooooh, I _love_ detective games!" Blair enthused. Seth gulped. He knew that sleuthing was Blair's strong suit, and not his. The two of them took turns asking the witnesses questions to solve a crime. They were required to judge from the witnesses' answers and also their facial expressions whether or not they were telling the truth.

"Uh…I think I'm gonna go with the truth on this one," Seth decided after some uncertainty. He was questioning a bartender about when he had seen the victim last.

"He's lying, you know. You could tell by the way his eyes shift to the corner before he answers. And look at his throat! He's swallowing hard, as if he has something to hide. And what took him so long to answer the question? It's a straightforward one. He's definitely lying," Blair affirmed, pushing the button for Seth. A check mark appeared next to the item, signaling that they had guessed right. Blair looked at Seth with a self-assured expression, while Seth watched her in admiration.

"Okay, fine. You're good at this. Have you ever considered a career as a private detective?" he asked her with genuine curiosity.

"Nah, I'd rather do it for entertainment – not as a job," she answered dismissively. "It should teach you not to lie to me though, about _anything_, considering how strong my sixth sense is. I have a built-in lie detector. Unless you want to lose a limb, I suggest you come clean – _always_."

Ryan cleared his throat nervously beside her. "I don't doubt that."

"Yeah…neither do I." Seth put his controller down. "You know what, you want to call it a day? I never thought I'd say this, but I'm kind of sick of playing video games. You wanna maybe go out? Hit the beach? Grab an ice-cream?" He stood up to turn off the console.

"What? But we're _this_ close to finding the killer! Don't you want to catch the psychopath who did it?" Blair exclaimed in disbelief. She narrowed her eyes at him. "You just don't want to play because you realized you've just lost."

"I thought you said video games were stupid," Seth replied, avoiding her question. He sighed heavily in defeat. "But a deal is a deal, so if you want me to stop playing video games now, I guess that's what I'll do."

Blair glanced at the TV screen, feeling a little disappointed. She hated to admit it, but she had grown to like some of these silly games. "Maybe not stop _altogether_, but…just play less," she conceded finally.

Seth did a little victory hop and held on to her hands eagerly. "You mean, you'll still let me play, even though I lost fair and square?" Blair nodded, rolling her eyes. "And does that mean you _also_ admit that video games aren't stupid, after all?" he added.

"Don't push your luck, mister," Blair said to him, stabbing his chest playfully with her index finger.

"Okay," Ryan interrupted, "I don't know about you two, but I've been watching you guys play video games for four hours straight now. I say we get something to eat." He got up from the couch and stretched, while Seth gave Blair an affectionate kiss on the cheek. Blair sat back on the couch and relaxed as she waited for the boys to get ready. Seeing that she had nothing better to do while she waited, she hit the resume button and continued to solve the murder mystery.


	27. Chapter 23 - The Following

**A/N: Sorry for the wait, as usual. I've been hit with the flu, so wasn't really feeling good enough to write for a few days. But alas, it's out, and I hope you like it! They're starting to built onto their foundation and it seems that they've found their groove. Let me know what you think and give me a review! And...I'm about to reach 100 reviews! Couldn't have done it without all of you. Cheers!**

"Here."

Blair guided Seth's hand to reach under her shirt, where he felt his fingertips brush over the embroidery of her bra. Seth shivered. Throughout the past two weeks since their last superhero incident, Blair had been giving him lessons on how to touch her. He was still nervous as hell, but Blair was an excellent mentor when it came to these things, and always gave him plenty of encouragement. The lessons were getting more and more intense, as Seth found it increasingly difficult to resist completely giving in. He hardly had time to think when Blair suddenly lowered her lips to blow a breath of hot air into his ear, leaving him powerless and frozen, unable to respond except for the aching bulge in his pants.

"Well, _hello_ there," Blair whispered with delight, satisfied that it barely took any effort at all to get a reaction out of him. She unbuttoned the top three buttons of her blouse effortlessly, leaving the rest to his imagination.

"Um…I'm thinking we may be ready to…you know, take it to the next level, so to speak," Seth stuttered, his face turning bright red.

Blair flashed him a wicked smile and kissed him, full and hard on the lips. She pushed at his tongue with her own, sending Seth into another world as she pressed her warm body against his. Seth's hands continued to rummage underneath her blouse, as if by instinct, and he found himself tugging and pulling against the buckle of her bra in attempt to make contact with the bare skin underneath. Blair pulled away just long enough to smirk at him knowingly, then snapped it off herself, barely flinching. Seth gasped as Blair snaked out of her bra, leaving her completely naked underneath her blouse. He could make out the outlines of her body, full and beautiful, and he closed his hands around her breasts and ran his fingers along her cleavage. She moaned softly as his fingertips glossed over her nipples, and she kissed him even more hungrily in response, encouraging him to keep going. Blair reached down to unzip his pants, and then remove its button, revealing Seth's line of curly, dark hair which led down all the way down _there_. Just as Blair was about to reach further down, Seth grabbed her hand and stopped her.

"Pause," he gasped, his whole body stiffening in response. Blair sighed. They had been so close, and was making such good progress, but Seth still couldn't seem to let her get past his pants. She rolled her eyes and pouted, shifting her weight off him. Seth exhaled deeply as they both closed their eyes and counted to ten.

Seth glanced at Blair apologetically. "Blair, I'm – "

"Shh! Not another word. It's okay! It'll happen soon enough. You can't resist me for long, Cohen," she said, cutting him off and kissing him softly on the nose. She reached to put her bra back on, prompting Seth to gasp sharply as she teased him with a flash of her skin. Seth sat on his hands for 3 seconds, then, unable to control himself any longer, pounced on top of Blair, ready to finish what they had started. He was just wiggling out of his khakis when he heard someone knocking on the door loudly.

"Uh – um, Dad? I'm busy! Come back in an hour!" Seth yelled, throwing his shirt over his head and attacking Blair's mouth with an open kiss. She grabbed him by the ears and returned the kiss eagerly, the two of them giggling like children while they shared their spit.

"An hour, huh? Are you sure you'll last that long?" Blair teased, scratching him lightly on his belly with her fingernail and sending Seth groaning in agony.

"Seth, it's your mother. Is Blair in there with you?" Seth's mom's voice called back through the door.

"Jesus!" Seth jumped to his feet right away and grabbed his pants within seconds. He motioned for Blair to hide in his closet, throwing her clothes at her and closing the closet door on her as she tried to protest. He threw on his robe that had been hanging on the back of his chair, and tried to look as casual as possible as he opened the door.

"Um…what's up, Mom?" he said with an exaggerated yawn. "You just caught me in the middle of my – " he yawned again, for insurance, " – nap." He stood in the doorway, not bothering to invite her in.

"Well, I got back from the office early today so I was just wondering whether you and Blair wanted to go out for dinner, that's all." Kirsten glanced suspiciously into Seth's room. "Where is she?"

"Who? Oh – Blair? Um, I don't know. Maybe you can check at her home, you know, where she lives. Anyway, can't talk now, Mom. I'm just _so_ tired. I'll let you know when I'm hungry, okay?" Seth said quickly, gently pushing his mom out of his room.

"Sure, Seth," his mom replied, turning around, "but next time you want to take a nap, you may want to get rid of the bra on your bed. Tell Blair I said hi."

_Shit_. Seth watched as his mom disappeared down the hallway. That was the worst cock block in the history of cock blocks, ever. He ran back into the room to let Blair out of his closet, but as soon as he'd opened the closet door, Blair threw her handful of clothes at his face.

"Ow! What the hell, Blair?" Seth whined as he handed her her stockings.

Blair snatched them from his hands and started putting them on angrily. "Don't what the hell me, you moron. You're the one who shoved your girlfriend into your closet while we were having sex!"

"Well technically, we weren't really _having_ sex, considering we hadn't, you know," Seth explained, cocking his head to one side.

"Yes, believe me – _I know_," Blair responded, rolling her eyes and she wiggled back into her skirt and zipped it up. She ran her fingers through her hair in attempt to comb it out, while Seth climbed back into his own shirt.

"I'm sorry, Blair. It's not like I knew my mother would show up all of a sudden," he protested, passing Blair her bra.

Blair scowled at him as she cupped it around her, working underneath her blouse and doing the clasp at the back. "You know, if it weren't for your stupid video games, we could easily just stay at my place, and we would have had the entire afternoon to ourselves, completely uninterrupted."

"_You_ were the one who said you wanted to finish solving the Origami killer case," Seth pointed out, his hands on his hips as he watched Blair put on the remaining pieces of her complicated outfit.

Blair finished fiddling with her vest, then sighed. Seth was right – he had gotten her hooked onto his stupid video games, as much as she hated to admit it. "This is pathetic. What have you done to me? All we do is stay in all day and play video games or have quasi-sex while your parents listen by the door," Blair complained.

"You make it sound like they're just lurking there or something, ears pressed to the door. Which is a really creepy thought, so I'd like to think it isn't true," Seth said, wrinkling his nose. "Well what do you suggest? We could always watch _Breakfast at Tiffany's_ for the 97th time," he said sarcastically.

Blair narrowed her eyes at him. "My hobbies extend beyond watching Audrey movies, thank you very much." She pursed her lips as she tried to think of what they could do together that could make for time better spent. Her eyes drifted to the posters plastered on Seth's walls. "Right!" she declared, glancing at the clock in Seth's room. "It's only five, which means we've still got time."

"Time for what?" Seth replied, following Blair's gaze to his posters. "You want to go to a rock concert on a Wednesday afternoon, Blair?"

Blair looked at him as if he was the biggest idiot on earth. "No, Seth. Where I _want_ to go, is a classy, civilized place, filled with culture and art – something you're obviously not familiar with."

"Okaaay…that sounds dangerously boring. What did you have in mind?" Seth asked tentatively.

"I'm taking you to the OCMA – it's nothing like the MET or the MoMA, but it'll do for now," Blair replied, picking up her smartphone to look up the directions. "You can drive. It's not that far. Oooh there we go," she exclaimed, squinting at her phone, "they've got a few pieces from Stanton Macdonald-Wright! That'll do." Blair looked up at Seth cheerfully.

"Uh – am I supposed to know who that is?" Seth asked blankly.

"Well, you should find yourself enlightened to learn that he was the co-founder of synchromism – an avant-garde art movement – in fact, one of the very first that caught on in America," Blair answered expertly. "You'll see when we get there. I'll lead. You can follow." Blair opened his bedroom door and made her way downstairs, and the two of them slipped out the door quietly in order to avoid another awkward confrontation with Seth's mother.

* * *

"Okay, just give me a moment. I'm just gonna stop to fill up my tank," Seth said, pulling into a gas station off the highway.

Blair rolled her eyes. "We're going to the art gallery, Seth, not on a road trip." She rolled down the windows to take a deep breath of the warm California air, and reapplied her lipstick. Just as she opened her mouth to yell at Seth to hurry it up, she noticed two familiar figures, huddled in the ghetto coffee shop attached to the station.

"Seth," she hissed at him, bending low so that she could keep herself concealed in the passenger seat. "Get over here!"

Seth pumped the last few drops of gas into his tank. "Just give me a moment, Blair. I know we're in a hurry, but I don't exactly get out much, so I'd prefer to make sure we have enough gas on the off chance that we get stranded on the 405."

Blair frowned deeply. "Forget about that right now!" She pointed to the two figures through the window. "See that?"

Seth squinted in the direction that Blair had pointed to. "Is that…Ryan? With – _Summer_?"

"That's what it looks like," Blair replied smugly.

"Well, let's go in then, ask them if they'd want to join us and admire the art of synthinism together," Seth declared, climbing back into his car to move it to the parking lot.

"It's _synchromism_, and – are you daft? We can't just march in there and be all like, _hey what's up guys_!" Blair exclaimed, her eyes wide opened, as Seth pulled into a parking spot. Seth gave her a blank stare, completely clueless as to what she meant. Blair gave an impatient sigh. "Come on, Seth, use your deductive logic – right, I forgot – _you don't have any_. Ryan and Summer sneaking around, having a coffee in the middle of nowhere…and where's Marissa? Does that not seem strange to you?"

Seth shrugged. "So they're hanging out without Marissa. What's the big deal? We're all friends, aren't we?"

Blair grabbed Seth by his head and turned it so that they were both looking at the direction of Ryan and Summer's table. "Look at those two…Summer's hand on top of Ryan's…both their expressions so troubled and confused. It could only mean one thing – " Blair paused dramatically, waiting for Seth to answer.

" – that you've been playing too much LA Noire?" Seth suggested with a laugh.

"No, you dimwit – that they're having an _affair_," Blair answered indignantly.

Seth leaned in to get a closer look. "You really think they would do that to Marissa?" he asked Blair doubtfully.

"Honey, you're talking to someone from the Upper East Side – and I _know_ people are capable of a lot worse than we give them credit for. But there's only one way to find out." Blair turned around and rummaged in her Bottega tote bag until she pulled out her Chanel sunglasses and her Hermès headscarf. "Good thing I always come prepared," she said with a smirk, and putting on her disguise.

"Are you sure this is a good idea, Blair? I thought you wanted to introduce me to a world of art and civilization," Seth nagged, holding onto her arm lightly.

Blair reached over and threw the hood of Seth's hoodie over his head. "I did say I wanted to give you a taste of the Blair Waldorf world. And what's one thing that Blair Waldorf is good at aside from admiring avant-garde art? It's sleuthing. Come on, let's go," Blair replied with a sparkle in her eye as she climbed out of Seth's Range Rover.

Seth sighed in exasperation as he followed his girlfriend into the coffee shop. Blair motioned for Seth to sit down at the table directly next to them, where they were separated by an arrangement of plastic plants. The two of them bowed low, and Blair shooed away the waitress like a maniac when she tried to take their order. They strained to hear only bits and pieces of their conversation.

"We can't talk to her about this. She'll freak out. She'll never forgive me!" Blair heard Summer whine.

"But we know it's for the best. I don't know how much longer I can take this. Besides…all this sneaking around…she's gonna figure out what we're up to sooner or later, anyway," Ryan replied in a low whisper.

"I'm such a bad friend!" Summer wailed, while Blair rolled her eyes. They were just about to sneak back out to figure out what to do with the news when they found themselves face to face with none other than Marissa Cooper herself.

"Hey Blair. Hi Seth," Marissa greeted them cheerfully. She eyed them suspiciously. "Why are two dressed like that in the middle of the day?"

Seth reacted quickly and tried to pull her out of the coffee shop before she caught Summer and Ryan. "Umm…nothing special. Just uh – a roleplay we do once in a while…a little somethin' somethin' to spice up our relationship, right Blair?"

Blair bit her lip, unsure of whether she wanted to cover for the two cheating friends. "Seth," she started, but it was too late. Marissa's eyes widened as she caught sight of Ryan and Summer, still whispering ferociously to each other. She marched right up to their table and kept her voice as calm as possible as she confronted them.

Seth threw his hands on his head and followed after her, trying to do damage control. "Marissa, it's not what it looks like." Ryan and Summer both looked up in surprise as soon as they heard Seth's voice. "Hi Summer, hi Ryan. I'll explain all of this later. God, how on earth did this dingy coffee shop suddenly become the hottest spot in Newport? No offense," she said to the waitress, that had now stopped what she was doing to watch the impending showdown.

"Ryan. Summer," Marissa nodded at the two of them coldly. "And what brings you two here? I thought you were studying with Seth?"

Seth rushed forward and raised his hand. "Uh yup. That's me. Uh, we _were_ studying together when all four of us decided that we wanted to take a trip to the art museum to see some of the finest pieces of the symomism movement. And we just happened to stop here for a coffee. Isn't that funny, Ryan? Fancy seeing Marissa here too. Did you not tell her we were going to the art museum? I'll bet she would love it there," Seth rambled, trying to disseminate the bomb.

"Seth, for the last time, it's synchromism, and I think Marissa deserves to know the truth. Go on, Summer, tell your best friend what you did to her," Blair said to Summer as a look of guilt spread over her face. "Tell her you stooped low enough to have an affair with your best friend's boyfriend."

"What?" Ryan and Summer exclaimed in unison.

"_What_?" Marissa repeated hollowly, moving away from the table.

"What, Blair? Come on, you don't know that for sure," Seth pleaded with his girlfriend. He turned to Ryan. "Ryan, you've got to say something, man."

Summer stood up and turned to Marissa urgently. "Coop, it's not what you think. Blair's got it all wrong!" Marissa avoided her cries of protest and turned her head to one side.

"I think it's apparent to all of us here what is happening. You two have a thing for each other, and thought you could hide it from Marissa. The boyfriend and the best friend. Real classy," Blair said through her teeth, feeling a familiar twinge of anger and disbelief.

"Woah Blair, you're not really helping here," Seth said to her, pulling her aside gently. He watched his own girlfriend's expression with concern, then turned back to the drama that was unravelling in front of them.

"Just stop it, Blair, okay?" Ryan said to her angrily. "You don't know what's going on here." Blair stayed silent with her arms crossed as Seth put his arm around her to keep her calm. Ryan got out of his seat and took a step towards Marissa. "Marissa…Summer and I…we were meeting up here secretly today to talk about _you_," he said pointedly, looking right at her. Blair rolled her eyes in disbelief in the background, but Ryan continued speaking. He glanced over at Summer nervously. "Look, Summer and I have been noticing that you've been acting…strange lately. Not yourself," he started.

Summer also took a step closer to approach Marissa. "And we found _this_ in your locker, Coop," Summer said, pulling out a bag which contained a bottle of vodka and some jewellery that still had their price tags on them. Blair raised her eyebrows in surprise and Seth gave a low whistle. Marissa's face turned bright red, lunging forward to retrieve the bag, but Ryan snatched it away just in time.

"Give that to me! It's mine!" Marissa cried out, her voice breaking as tears streamed down her face.

"Are you crazy, Marissa?" Ryan asked, struggling to keep his voice low. "I mean, drinking in class? _Stealing_? That's a new low, even for you."

"Shut up, Ryan! You don't know me," Marissa responded through her tears. She turned to Summer angrily. "And you, Summer? I thought you were on _my_ side!"

Summer broke down in desperate cries. "I _am_, Coop! I just wanted to get you help!" Blair walked over to pull Summer to her side to comfort her.

Marissa gave a cold laugh. "By outing me to my boyfriend and your new friends? So what is this, an intervention?" she asked mockingly. "I don't need your help." She looked at Ryan squarely in the eye. "Give me my stuff back."

Ryan pursed his lips and pulled the bag further away from her, out of her reach. His action made Marissa completely lose it, sending her shrieking and clawing at Ryan's arm. "I SAID, GIVE IT BACK TO ME!"

Ryan laid the bag on the table and grabbed Marissa by her wrists. "Would you look at yourself? You need help, Marissa! Just come with us to see someone. It'll be alright! You can't go on like this!"

"What are you, my mom?" Marissa yelled at him. "All of you – you're on _her_ side, aren't you? She told you to do this, didn't she? This is all part of her plan to get me to see a psychologist. She thinks I'm a lunatic!" She gave up struggling with Ryan and crouched down on the floor, crying openly now.

"She wants to _help_ you, Coop. We _all_ want to help you," Summer cried helplessly at Blair's side. Ryan sat back in his seat and pounded his fist on the table in frustration. It was Blair who finally spoke up.

"You know, you're lucky you even have a mom who cares enough to make you see someone. Back where I'm from, mothers on the Upper East Side would be so embarrassed to have a daughter like you that they'd rather die than have you seek help. They'd send you away just so they could protect their own reputation."

The other friends looked at each other quietly, unsure of what to say. Blair continued, softening her tone. "It'll help you know – seeing somebody. My best friend back home used to get into all kinds of trouble. Her brother tried to kill herself and ended up in the Ostroff Centre – _the _place to be for _troubled teens_. But now, they're okay. They took some time off to figure things out, and they're back with their family and friends." She paused, observing Marissa's reaction. "You need this, Marissa. Can't you see how worried Ryan and Summer are? At least do it for them."

Marissa's breathing slowed, but tears continued to fall out of her eyes. "You don't understand. With my parents' divorce, and my dad's legal troubles…nothing's right this year. I just can't handle it." She put her head in both hands and sobbed, while Ryan placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I know it doesn't seem possible, but you'll get through it. My dad left my mom just last year to be with a male model. _My_ boyfriend of God-knows-how-long and my best friend _slept _together and left me hanging without a clue. And now look at me." She gave a brief glance over at Seth, who was hearing much of this information for the first time. "Good as new – with that muppet over there. It sucks what you're going through, but it gets better. Plus you have all of us here with you. We're all on your side. Just trust me." Blair held out a hand to Marissa, offering to help her up.

Marissa looked at Blair's hand hesitantly, then finally took hold of it, pulling herself up. She wiped away the last of her tears with both hands, and then onto her skinny jeans. "So you don't think I'm a psycho?"

Blair rolled her eyes. "You're an alcoholic and a chronic shoplifter. You'd fit right in on the Upper East Side," she said to her lightly. Marissa gave a small smile and Summer rushed out to give her a hug in relief. Ryan stood beside her, a protective arm around Marissa, letting out a huge sigh himself. He mouthed a _thank-you_ to Blair, who nodded at him in acknowledgement.

Blair and Seth watched as Marissa climbed into Summer's car, Ryan in the driver's seat. He waved back at them, and the three drove off to Marissa's home after making an appointment with the psychologist. After the unfolding of the day's dramatic events, Blair and Seth decided to stay for a cup of coffee before heading back home.

"So much for an afternoon of art appreciation," Seth joked, taking a large sip of the house brew. He wrinkled his nose in disgust at the foul taste that it left in his mouth.

"Well, at least we got Marissa the help she needed," Blair answered, who opted for a bottled Perrier water instead.

Seth watched her as she delicately placed the cap back onto the bottle. "You didn't tell me that your dad was, _you know_," Seth started.

"Gay?" Blair offered. Seth shrugged, afraid that he was treading on dangerous waters. "Well, not everyone comes from a wholesome all-American family like yours," Blair replied with a smirk.

"Hey, I come from a half-Jew, half-Protestant home. Not the kind of all-American family you're thinking of," Seth protested, grabbing the bottle from Blair's hands and taking a sip to wash out the sour taste left from the burnt coffee.

"Right. Because nothing spells family drama like mismatched religious backgrounds," Blair retorted, snatching the bottle back.

"Hey, don't judge. It gets pretty intense during the holidays. But I forget that you're a recent addition – you don't know about Chrismukkah," Seth remembered, growing excited. "It's alright – you'll find out soon enough."

Blair gave him a cunning smile. "Are you so confident? It's only May, after all. Who says I won't get rid of you when summer comes around? I'm kind of sick of you already," she teased with a smile.

"Well, Blair, I think you're underestimating the good ol' Cohen charm," he said to her, reaching out to give her a kiss on her nose. "You're not getting off that easy." Blair wiggled her nose at him, narrowing her eyes playfully. Seth sat back and took both her hands, admiring Blair's calm, beautiful smile in the low light. "This is nice, you know. We should do this more often."

Blair laughed. "Do what? Convince people to get psychiatric help? Spy on our friends?"

"No. _Talk_," Seth answered meaningfully. The two of them looked at each other, falling silent for a moment. Seth look anoter drink of his ruined coffee while Blair sipped from the straw of her Perrier, the two of them holding hands like an old couple, saying nothing at all until they climbed back into Seth's car, marking the end of the day's adventure.


	28. Chapter 24a - The Other Side

**A/N: I know, I'm horrible. Part two will come tomorrow, I hope. Until then...leave your theories, comments, thoughts, feedback, or wishes!**

"Emergency."

Blair walked into her bedroom to find half-naked Seth waiting for her on her bed, posed in what he must have thought (wrongly) as a provocative position. She closed her eyes and shook away the image as she threw his tee back at him, still focused on whatever she was doing on her phone.

"Hey, I'm hurt," Seth said with a pout, reluctantly throwing the shirt over his head. "Kind of know how it feels to be a male escort now. Come on, Blair, gimme some of that lovin'…" He reached over to pull Blair into his arms, only to be confronted with a palm in the face. "_Ow_."

Blair sighed. "Listen, as encouraged as I am by the fact that you are finally willing yourself out of your life of abstinence, I happen to have more important matters to take care of at the moment." She set her phone down for a millisecond to look at him meaningfully. "There's been a calamity of some sort in New York, and I'm afraid it requires my immediate attention. Guess we'll have to take yet another rain-check on the museum run." She turned back to her phone and typed furiously to arrange the quickest flight possible that would get her to Manhattan.

Seth stood up and gasped dramatically. "You mean it's the Twin Towers? Oh no, wait, that was September 11th, and you're not Jack Bauer who works for the CTU, so I guess anything can wait until _after_ Memorial Day weekend," he said sarcastically, snatching the phone away from Blair's hands, and putting it aside so she would be forced to focus on him.

"Really, Seth? I know we have our differences about 9/11 conspiracy theories, but that is beyond the realm of acceptable joking matter," she said, narrowing her eyes at him. She watched his frown grow deeper and sighed again. "Okay, so maybe it's not a matter of life and death, but Serena needs me. She's been having problems with Dan for a while now, and I'm worried that she may go back to her old ways without his…_influence_." Blair frowned herself, surprised that she had actually admitted that Dan was a positive change in her best friend's life, despite his constant eye-rolling and judgmental pretentiousness.

"Hmm…are we talking about the same Serena who – uh, let's see – slept with your boyfriend, had problems with drugs and alcohol, left you behind without saying goodbye when your parents got divorced, abandoned you when you were dealing with bulimia, and constantly makes you battle an inferiority complex when you're around her?" Seth rambled on with a raised eyebrow.

"Hey, only I get to talk about my friends that way!" Blair protested, shoving Seth aside to retrieve her phone. "Besides, that's all in the past now. Distance does make the heart grow fonder, and I miss hanging out with her so much. It'd be good to at least be able to catch up!" She bit her lip, wondering if she had told Seth a little too much about her past. Now he was going to give her a hard time every time she talks about Serena – which happens to be _all_ the time.

"Well great, then. Why don't I come with you?" Seth offered, shrugging casually.

Blair froze and widened her eyes. "What?"

"Well you want to fly to New York and visit Serena. I want to get the Blair Waldorf special museum education tour that you've been raving about for weeks. What better way to get that experience than to go with you, to New York, where you can take me to the MoMA and the MET, and wherever it is you artsy people go? I've always dreamt to study on the East coast, and this would be the perfect chance for me to check things out and see if I'd like it. So, what do you say, Blair? Memorial day weekend on the Upper East Side…just the two of us. Sound good?"

Seth gave her a wink and Blair slumped onto her bed in defeat – there was no getting out of this one. She gave him a weak smile as she reluctantly texted Dorota to arrange two seats instead. This was going to be one heck of a weekend.

* * *

"Serena! We're here!" Blair barged into the van der Woodsen's penthouse and threw down her bags, making Seth trip over them.

"Okay, Blair, can you calm down? You've been chugging Red Bulls like, two hours before the landing. I think you can take it easy now that we're actually here," Seth assured her, looking cautiously at his extremely high-strung girlfriend.

"Quiet, Cohen. You promised you wouldn't get in my way this weekend, and we're here for important matters. How can I function effectively on the Upper East Side when I'm still living in Newport time, huh?" Blair wandered deeper into the penthouse and called out again. "Serena! It's me, B! You know, your best friend?"

"Uh – it's a three-hour difference, not like we just flew to Tokyo or anything. Can't you just call her? Maybe she's not at home," Seth suggested, following Blair into the spacious living room and finding an elegant, blonde woman who looked like she was in her late-30's clutching her forehead while holding a glass of whiskey. She immediately reminded Seth of his own mom. She looked up at them and set the glass down.

"Oh, Blair! What a pleasant surprise!" She rushed forward to meet Blair, and they gave each other soft pecks on the cheek as a greeting. "And I see you've brought a guest!" Lily smiled at Seth, raising her eyebrows at Blair, and offered her hand to him. "Lily van der Woodsen. Serena's mom. Nice to meet you…?"

"Seth," he answered, taking her hand and shaking it firmly. Lily and Blair then proceeded to sit on the van der Woodsen's sofa, which looked very uncomfortable and unwelcoming. In fact, it occurred to Seth that everything in this home looked rather uncomfortable and unwelcoming – as if no one actually lived there. He awkwardly took a seat next to Blair, who made no further effort to explain to Lily who he was. He drummed his fingers aimlessly on his lap while the two of them chatted, neither of them taking any additional notice of him.

"I'm sorry, Lily, but we can't really stay for long. I only came here because I've heard from reliable…ahem – _sources_ that Serena's having some problems with Dan lately and getting into a bit of trouble," Blair said quickly, sneaking a look at Seth to make sure he hadn't caught on. She didn't want him to know that the reliable source was actually Gossip Girl, and that she hasn't actually spoken to Serena for about two weeks now.

"Well, I'd say your sources are quite accurate, considering I haven't seen my own daughter for two weeks now, either. I've asked Eric but he hasn't heard from her either. Maybe you could try calling Dan…or even Nate," Lily offered, looking concerned.

"Nate? You mean Nate as in your ex-boyfriend, her ex-one-night-stand, Nate?" Seth spoke up suddenly, interrupting the two of them. This whole thing was sounding pretty bizarre. He turned to Blair. "Are you telling me we flew all the way to New York to find your friend who's basically gone AWOL? _Again_?"

Blair shot a harsh look at Seth. "Shhh! Quiet, Cohen! Don't you know it's impolite to interrupt? And this is the girl's mother, for crying out loud. Show some sensitivity!" she hissed at him.

Lily waved her hand dismissively. "Oh, don't worry about me, Blair. I've been Serena's mother for seventeen years now, so I've got a pretty good idea of how my daughter operates. Do find her for me and bring her home, will you?" Lily took Blair's hand in both of hers and stood up. "Now, if you'll both excuse me, I have a lunch with Charles' father."

Blair gave a sharp gasp at the mention of Chuck's name. Her voice came out several pitches higher than usual. "_Charles_? Oh? That's nice. Wouldn't want to keep you, then. Any idea where _Charles_ is, today?" Blair could feel the Red Bull kicking in. The last thing she needed was a full-on confrontation between Chuck and Seth this weekend. She had to do whatever it takes to keep the two from seeing each other.

Lily rolled her eyes. "Most likely having another one of his trademark mornings with some impressionable young ladies at the Empire, if you know what I mean." She kissed Blair lightly on both cheeks again to bid her farewell, retrieved her limited edition Chanel from the chair, and headed over to wait for the lift, giving the couple a last glance before slipping through the elevator doors.

Blair sat back and sighed heavily. Seth glanced at her wearily. "So, now what? It's still not too late to fly back and go on our museum run, you know. Nothing like the OCMA!" he said sarcastically.

Blair stood up decisively. "Didn't you hear what Serena's mom said? Serena's obviously in some sort of trouble and needs our help. Come on, Seth. We're going to Brooklyn." She figured that Dan Humphrey may have more answers than she and Lily did, and if he didn't – well, at least there was no danger of running into Chuck in that part of town. Besides, she wasn't really ready yet to face Nate again, even if it may have been the more direct way of finding Serena. She walked ahead and pressed the button on the lift impatiently, avoiding Seth's inquisitive eyes as he picked up their luggage and followed her.

* * *

"Humphrey? Humphrey!" Blair called out as she pushed through the heavy doors of Dan's loft. She had known from previous experience that his doors were never locked. Blair always found it strange that he had so much faith in his neighbourhood, despite the fact that he lived in Brooklyn. She didn't bother waiting for Seth as she ran straight through the garage door that separated the living room.

"Humphrey!" she demanded one last time and she stumbled into his room only to find him sitting uncomfortably close to a familiar-looking brunette. Blair gasped sharply. This was not good. She struggled to find the right words as Seth finally made his way into the room.

"Hey, has anyone ever noticed that there is a garage door in the middle of the room?" Seth asked, spinning his head in all directions to get a better look of the Humphrey loft. So far, his trip to New York was just as enlightening as he had imagined it – despite completely losing his girlfriend to the twilight zone. She had barely said a word to him since they've landed. Blair held a finger to his lips harshly to shush him.

"Daniel Humphrey, what on earth are you doing here?" Blair asked, purposely ignoring the girl who still kept her hand on his lap as he snapped back in surprise.

"Blair? What are _you_ doing here? This is my house! How did you even get in?" he asked with a frown.

Blair sighed impatiently. "I'm the one who'll be asking the questions now, if you don't mind. I was asking, what are you doing here – with _Georgina Sparks_?" She turned to the girl and hissed at her. "And get your paws off her, you lunatic! Haven't you heard? He's taken!" She grabbed Dan by his shirt and pulled him backwards, throwing him back onto the bed to ensure that Georgina kept her distance.

Georgina feigned an innocent expression and batted her long eyelashes at Blair. "Oh, I'm so sorry, Blair! Haven't _you_ heard? Serena left Dan a week ago. I'm just trying to be a good friend for him right now," she cooed at her, throwing a glance at Dan in the corner of her eye.

"Oh, please, don't make me throw up on you!" Blair spat at her. She turned around furiously to face Dan. "And God, could you be any more dense? This girl is like the spawn of Satan! You actually _trust_ her?"

Dan wrinkled his forehead. "Blair, are you asking me whether I trust her – who, by the way, has been there for me through all this Serena drama for the past two weeks – over _you_, who basically represents everything I fear and loathe about the Upper East Side, then I'm sorry to say, I'd like to take my chances with Georgina. Sorry Blair, but I'm gonna have to ask you to leave. Like, now."

"Uh, excuse me, can anyone tell me what the heck is going on here? Blair, what are we doing here? I…don't think Serena's here. Let's just go," Seth interrupted, feeling increasingly uncomfortable with the weird vibe in the room.

"You can go if you want, but I'm staying here until this Brooklyn bonehead kicks Little Miss She-Devil out of this loft so we can talk about Serena," Blair said firmly, planting herself on Dan's bed in between Dan and Georgina. Seth rolled his eyes and threw his arms up in the air in exasperation.

Dan stood up angrily, running his hand through his hair. "You know what, Blair? You can stay. So can you, Georgina. _I'm_ gonna go." He walked straight out of the loft without glancing back at the three of them, slamming the heavy door shut behind him.

"Well, that went well," Georgina commented, rising from the bed and dusting her hands off.

"What are you doing back here anyway? And with Dan? Why would Serena break up with him? She's head over heels for Humphrey!" Blair exclaimed in a shrill voice.

"Looks like someone's bestie has been keeping her out of the loop," Georgina responded lightly, looking smug. She glanced over casually at Seth. "And who might this be? Your new boy toy? I guess you've decided to adopt your own piece of charity work. Excellent – birds of a feather do indeed flock together."

Blair narrowed her eyes at her. "Come on, Seth. It's a waste of time dealing with people like her. Let's go find Serena." Blair led the way out of the room, with Seth following close behind, lugging her luggage behind him.

"Go ahead, you poor, lost, little puppy. You'll be doing plenty of that in the time to come, you know. Our own Queen B here, thinking she could be satisfied with the average Joe. Serena thought she found her true love in simple Dan Humphrey, too. And look how well _that_ turned out," Georgina said smugly, crossing her arms over her chest.

Blair stopped for a moment, bit her lip, then continued to walk on, choosing to ignore her obnoxious comments. She remained completely quiet until the both of them ended up back on the sidewalk, Seth having to take a seat on Dan's doorsteps to take a moment's rest.

Blair looked at him impatiently. "Well? Are you just going to sit there in the middle of the streets in Brooklyn, of all places?"

Seth looked equally annoyed. "Blair, I'm _tired_. All this has been a wild goose chase so far. You know, you could have told me you had no idea where Serena was, and then we could have at least checked into a hotel or something while we figured out a plan."

Blair's head snapped up suddenly, as if hit by a spark of realization. "A hotel! That's it! Serena only has like, three friends, including me. If she's not with Dan, and not at home, she's probably at The Empire." She scrunched her nose at him. "So you _are_ useful for something."

Seth looked as if he had been slapped. "Um…thanks?"

Blair rolled her eyes. "You know what I mean." She consulted her phone, deep in thought. "Seth, there's a few errands I have to run, and I can't do it with you tagging along behind me. Be a dear and check into a hotel while I go search for the fugitive, will you?" she asked, smiling at him sweetly.

"Er…okay. I'll just check into The Empire then, where you think Serena will be. You will be able to find her and save her or whatever it is you're trying to do, and I will be able to enjoy a whole lot of infomercials while spending my Memorial Day weekend in New York," he responded sarcastically.

"NO!" Blair practically shouted, a look of utter alarm on her face. She regained her composure and coughed lightly. "I meant, _no_. The Empire is completely overrated and jam-packed with tourists. You'd better check us into the…um…The Peninsula. Yes, that'll do. That will put you right on Fifth Avenue where you can do some shopping at Bergdorf's while you wait for me." She handed her his credit card and shooed him away. "Run along now, Cohen. And don't call me – I'll call you." She turned around and hailed a cab to take her directly to The Empire, leaving Seth looking lost and speechless, standing there on the sidewalk with two pieces of her gigantic luggage.

Blair drummed her fingers impatiently on her tote bag as the cab entered the busy streets of Manhattan. She was sticking her head out of the window, trying to catch a glimpse of a disorderly, tall blonde, when her phone beeped. She rolled her eyes – it was probably Seth, wondering where to get the best burgers in town. She decided to ignore the message, until her phone rang instead. Exasperated and irritated as ever, she picked up the phone to yell at him.

"Cohen, I _said_ I was _busy_," she exclaimed before she gave him a chance to say anything.

"Trouble in paradise already, Waldorf?" a voice responded in a low, Batman-like whisper. It wasn't Seth – it was Chuck Bass.

"Chuck," she replied, the name already leaving a sour taste in her mouth.

"Don't worry, I have no interest in your affairs with that OC boy. I'm calling because I saw on Gossip Girl that you're in town, and I thought you could give me a hand with our blonde friend. Are you alone?" he murmured, his voice so low that Blair had to struggle to hear him properly.

"Yes, I'm alone, but don't get any ideas. But more to the point – Serena. Is she with you? Never mind, I'm just pulling into The Empire as we speak. I'll check myself," she declared, ready to hang up.

There was a pause. "No – she wouldn't come to me. I reckon she's with Nate – the two have been spending a lot of time together these past few weeks. I'll meet you at Victrola." He paused again. "It's good to hear your voice again, Waldorf." _Silence._

Blair wrinkled her nose at the phone, already feeling queasy about what she was about to get herself into.

"Sorry, change of plans – take me back to SoHo, please."


	29. Chapter 24b - The Closure

**A/N: And delivered as promised! Sound off in the reviews!  
**

Blair gulped nervously as the cab came to a halt in front of Victrola. She handed him two hundred-dollar bills and told him to keep the change. As she climbed out of the cab, she took a moment to ease her nerves and commanded herself not to think back to the fateful night that changed everything. As if on cue, a familiar voice whispered into her ear, blowing a soft breath at her as he spoke.

"Just like the old times, huh B?"

Blair spun around to find herself face to face with Chuck Bass, looking as smug as ever. She waved her hand at him, as if to shoo him away. She straightened her coat and took a step back. "I'm here strictly for business, Chuck. And may I remind you that I am very happily in a relationship with Seth right now. But of course – the concept of a relationship would be completely foreign to a savage like you." She turned away from him, her heart thumping furiously against her chest.

"You didn't seem to mind my savage ways when we were in the limo driving away from this very spot," Chuck reminded her with a coy smile.

She narrowed her eyes at him and pushed her way into the burlesque bar, refusing to give him the satisfaction of seeing her react to his provocation. "Serena? Serena, where _are_ you?" she called as she looked frantically from table to table in search of her friend. Finally, she found a drunken, limp Serena, collapsed on top of a table, with Nate trying to wipe her face with a damp towel. The sight of the two of them together still caused Blair's heart to ache a little bit, and she looked away briefly to contain herself. Nate looked up at Blair with Chuck standing behind her, and looked a little broken himself.

"Aw, you started the party without us," Chuck complained sarcastically.

"And the prodigal ex-girlfriend returns," Nate responded, throwing the towel aside. "Are we all supposed to kiss and make up now, just because you came back after skipping town for a few months?" he asked in a bitter tone.

Blair took a step forward, pleading with Nate. She couldn't get over how beautiful he still looked, even though she knew he was still furious with her. "Look, Nate. I know you're still mad, but I'm – _we're_ – here for Serena. Is she okay?" She took a few quick steps towards her, trying to retrieve her best friend from his arms.

"You didn't seem too concerned about her when you left," Nate shot back at her, pulling Serena away.

Blair balled her fists in frustration. "It wasn't about her! Nor you. Nor _you_," she added, turning to Chuck Bass. "I left because I wanted a clean slate – a fresh start. People aren't too forgiving around here, if you know what I mean," she said in a low voice.

"Yeah well, should have thought about that before you slept with my _best friend_." Nate didn't seem ready to reconcile any time soon.

"To be fair, you two weren't actually together when it happened," Chuck cut in, surprisingly at her defense.

"You stay out of this. Why are you even here, anyway?" Nate spat at Chuck. "Enjoying the show?"

"Nate, will you just let us help? The three of us have been friends with Serena for like, _ever_, and we just want to know what happened to her!" Blair waited for Nate's expression to soften, then took a seat next to the two of them. "I saw Georgina at Dan's place earlier today. Was it her? She said they broke up. I thought everything was good with them."

Nate clenched and unclenched his jaw. "She – _Georgina_ – showed up in the middle of nowhere and Serena started to hang out with her again. Georgina must have something over her, 'cus it seems that she just can't say no to that girl. Anyway, Dan hasn't been too happy with Serena getting back to her partying ways, and the two of them called it quits."

"You conveniently left out the part where _you_ have been spending a lot of time with Serena as well, Nathaniel. I mean, you must admit that it worked out pretty well for you now that Georgina has taken the Humphrey boy out of Serena's hands," Chuck pointed out, looking meaningfully at Nate.

"Hey, I was just trying to be a good friend," Nate protested, looking over at Serena with concern.

"Funny, that's what Georgina said about Dan," Blair commented under her breath.

Nate grew annoyed. "Look, Blair. After you left, Serena has been trying to stick it out all on her own. Her mom is dating _this_ guy's dad, of all people, and Eric's been with his new boyfriend. She has nobody. If you can't understand that, then I guess we have nothing to talk about." He paused, throwing another angry look at Blair. "Not that I owe you any explanations or anything."

Blair sighed. "Nate, it's okay if you still have feelings for Serena. I've moved on. And I'd get it if you did, too. Especially since technically, you've never really moved on from her in the first place," she added graciously, but with sincerity. She put her hand on Nate's shoulder. "Look, you just get her home and run her a warm bath until she comes around. Lily's worried sick about her – or as worried as Lily could be about her kids. Me and this Basshole here will get the bitch and make sure she stays out of S's life for good," she said, throwing a look at Chuck, who had now crossed his arms with his trademark arrogant look on his face.

"No. Whatever it is you're planning to do, I want to be there when it happens. I want to get her myself," Nate muttered through his teeth, his crystal clear blue eyes sparkling with determination.

Blair sighed. "Fine. Chuck – you take her home and help us stall Lily. We don't want her to ask too many questions, considering we still don't know what Georgina has up her sleeve. Me and Nate will go find Georgina and take her out. We'll be back before you know it," Blair assured him. Chuck shrugged as Nate and Blair struggled underneath Serena's weight and lifted her up.

Nate draped Serena's limp, lifeless arm over Chuck's shoulder and glared at him threateningly. "Don't get any ideas, you creep."

Chuck furrowed his eyebrows at him. "She's going to be my stepsister in a few weeks. That would be incest," he shot back at him.

Blair rolled her eyes. "Like that would ever stop you," she retorted, sharing a knowing smile with Nate. She smiled to herself as Nate and Chuck lifted Serena into Chuck's limo together. It was almost just like the old times again, and a pang of nostalgia hit her in the pit of her stomach.

Nate released Serena's body and looked back at her, his eyes looking at her inquiringly. "You coming, Waldorf?"

Blair's eyes met his and nodded. "Let's get the bitch."

* * *

"According to Gossip Girl, she and Dan were spotted here about fifteen minutes ago," Blair reported, looking up from her cell phone. She watched Nate's serious expression as they made their way into Central Park. She couldn't help but remember all the times they had spent there, walking arm in arm and feeding the ducks. She sighed. "Do you remember this? This used to be our place. What happened to us, Nate?" she wondered aloud.

Nate raised an eyebrow at her. "Well, let's see. I cheated on you with your best friend, then you slept with my best friend after breaking up with me for an hour, then you slept with me, and then you left. So…I think that pretty much sums it all up," he replied, jamming his hands into his pockets.

"Why are you so angry? Had it ever occurred to you that I did what I did because I was so tired of playing second fiddle to Serena? Even when we were together – it was all about Serena for you. I'm not blind, you know," Blair pointed out, tired of being made to feel guilty. "Plus, you can be mad at me all you want, but you should at least cut Chuck some slack. You know he feels horrible – you're his only friend, and as much as he is a total monster, you two really need to work things out." Nate kept silent and turned the other way. The two of them walked in silence until Blair saw Georgina and Dan, sitting on top of a rock by the pond. Blair marched right up to them.

"Georgina! You can give up the act. I'm back now. And I know exactly who you are, and _how_ you are. What have you been doing to Serena?" Blair demanded.

Georgina and Dan both rose to their feet as Nate approached them. Dan grew agitated as soon as he caught sight of Nate. "What is he doing here? I thought you were having fun with my _girlfriend_. Sorry – _ex-girlfriend_," he emphasized through his teeth. He looked as if he were ready to charge full-force at Nate.

"Relax, Humphrey. We're here to get you your girlfriend back. Georgina, a word please? In _private_?" She gave Georgina her best threatening smile until she finally relented and stepped aside with her, away from Dan.

"What do you want, Blair? Don't you see? He trusts me. I won. You and Serena lost. Deal with it," she informed her haughtily.

"No, I think _you_ should deal with the fact that I've called your parents and they're coming down here to collect you as we speak," Blair responded lightly, flashing Georgina her phone to reveal her recent call list.

"You wouldn't dare," Georgina seethed, struggling to keep her voice low. "Plus, if they come, I'd have to tell Dan all about Serena's dirty secrets. You know – the partying, the drugs, the affairs. I'll bet poor innocent Humphrey would love to hear about that," Georgina taunted.

Blair frowned. "That's _it_? That's all you had on her? Dan knows exactly what kind of girl Serena was before they got together. That's not going to make him walk away," she answered in disbelief.

"Yeah well, you and I know that, but Serena doesn't. She thinks that the moment he realizes she's not the girl that he's placed on the pedestal, he'd fall instantly out of love with her. How sweet, and not to mention _utterly tragic_," Georgina moaned phonily.

"That may scare her, but it doesn't scare me. I'm calling your parents again and telling them exactly what you've done. You'd be lucky if you get any less than three years in Jesus camp," Blair said to her, placing her phone to her ear.

"No you don't! You give me that!" Georgina reached out for Blair's phone indignantly, and the two of them struggled for the phone.

"Ow! Let – go of me!" Blair shrieked, using all her strength to fling free from Georgina's grasp. Blair shook her wrist – hard – which sent Georgina off balance and plunging right into the pond. The impact made a huge splash, sending both Dan and Nate running over in alarm.

"Blair! You didn't have to push her into the pond, you know," Nate exclaimed, running a hand through his hair as Georgina thankfully surfaced.

"You know, you're insane!" Dan yelled at her, rushing to Georgina's rescue. But to his surprise, she waded her way to the other side of the pond, avoiding Dan's desperate attempts to help her.

"Toodle-loo, Georgie! Say hi to Jesus for me!" Blair called out behind her, holding back her laughter.

"Blair, what is wrong with you? Why do people like you and Serena always act as if you run the world?" Dan asked furiously. He was so angry he looked as if we would explode.

"You don't know anything, Humphrey. I suggest you keep your nose out of all this business – it's a little too grown-up for you. You should be thankful we've gotten rid of that insect for you. It was a matter of time before she sucked up your soul. Now you can go back to Serena where you belong and tell her how sorry you were for spending so much time with that snitch," she said, smiling at him and feeling pleased.

"Do you even hear yourself, Blair? You think you did something good? I don't care what Georgina did – whatever it is, she didn't deserve getting shoved into a pond in the middle of Central Park. And as for Serena – I think it's up to me to decide whether or not we're right for each other. I'm not going to go running back to her just because you _commanded_ me to be with her. You know nothing about our relationship. Why don't you just go back to the O.C.? No one wants you here, anyway. I'm sure I'm speaking for both Nate and myself when I say that," Dan shot at her angrily. He knew he was going a bit overboard, but Blair's haughtiness always infuriated him, and it did so especially now, after the longest two weeks of Dan's life.

"Fine," Blair retorted, her nose in the air. "Serena would be better off with someone like Nate, anyway. People like Waldorfs and van der Woodsens are accustomed to caviar, not canned tuna. You two have nothing in common. You don't understand our world. You have no idea what it's like to be part of Manhattan's greatest elites. It's your banality and her drive to fit into your perfectly unspectacular world that's put her in this mess in the first place. If I were you, I'd just let her go," she advised him, speaking mostly out of anger now. No one dares to speak to Blair Waldorf in that manner – especially not a low-life like Dan Humphrey. She was proud of herself for not getting soft after all that time spent with Seth.

Seth – she finally remembered that she had left him all alone, probably wandering down the streets of Manhattan, with no clue where to go, or where she was. She was just about to reach for her phone when she realized that Seth was standing just ten feet away from her – and that he had just heard every single word that she had uttered to Dan. She looked at him, then at Nate, and then back at Dan. This was going to take a whole lot of explaining.

"Blair," he greeted her, stepping closer towards them now. He turned to Nate, looking him over from head to toe. "And you must be Nate," he held out his hand in greeting, "Seth Cohen. Nice to finally meet you."

Blair swallowed hard. "Um, Nate. This is Seth – my…uh – my…"

"Friend. Her friend from Newport," Seth answered for her, not bothering to wait for her to finish stammering. She looked up at him with a look that was a mixture of shame and curiosity.

Nate looked at the two of them in understanding. "So listen, I'm gonna head back. I think you and Serena could use some time alone. I'll be at The Empire if you're looking for me. There's a few things I have to work out there…if you know what I mean," Nate said to Blair. Blair met his eyes and nodded. The two of them shared an awkward hug, then Nate turned to leave.

"Was nice meeting you, man," Nate said to Seth, saluting at him. He walked away from them and disappeared down the path.

"What a stellar guy!" Seth said in an overly enthusiastic voice.

"And that's my cue," Dan said. "Listen Blair, I will talk to Serena when I'm ready. But maybe you're right. Maybe we're just from two different worlds." He walked away from the two of them, leaving just Seth and Blair, and the ducks.

"So, are you going to tell me what that was all about?" Seth asked Blair, a little angrily. He was tired of being left out in the dark, and was particularly unpleased that Blair had ditched him to spend an entire afternoon with her ex-boyfriend, who looked no less gorgeous than a friggin' supermodel.

"I will explain everything. But first, I have to head back to Serena's to see if she's okay. We found her passed out in a bar and our friend just took her home." She paused, unsure of whether Chuck had vacated the grounds yet. "Do you mind waiting for me back at the hotel? It'll only be a minute."

"You know what, Blair? Actually, I _do_ mind," Seth replied, fully exasperated now. "I've been wandering around in Central Park for hours now, wondering when you were finally going to call me, only to find you with your ex-boyfriend, shoving some random girl into a pond. The last thing I want to do is to wait for you to rescue your so-called friend who was too sloppy to take care of herself, getting drunk in broad daylight. That's real classy, Blair. I'm sorry, maybe it's different on the Upper East Side, but that's just not how I roll. Now if you'll excuse me, I'd like to enjoy the rest of my Memorial Day weekend – back at home." He reached into his pocket to pass her her credit card. "You can have this back. I can afford my own expenses here, actually. If you haven't noticed, my grandfather is pretty much the richest man in Orange County. But of course, to you, I'm still _canned tuna_." He practically spat the words at her.

"I wasn't talking about you!" Blair protested in a shrill voice. She was already exhausted at the events of the day, and the last thing she wanted to deal with was yet another boy who was angry at her for no apparent reason. "God, why are you making things so difficult?"

"Blair, I hate it here. Congratulations – I don't know how it was even possible, but you've managed to make New York City pretty much the worst place on the planet for me right now. I want to go home, Blair. Now are you coming with me or not?" Seth asked firmly but gently.

Blair crossed her arms defensively. "I came here for Serena. I'm not going to leave without making sure that she's okay. She needs me!" Blair insisted. She didn't know why Seth was acting like such an immature brat. This weekend of all weekends, she needed his understanding. "And I need _you_," she finally added, hoping that last remark would soften him up.

"Alright then. You have fun with your so-called friends. I'm sorry, Blair. But I'm going home. I'll see you when you get back, okay? I'll have the concierge send the luggage over to Serena's place," he told her calmly, ready to part from her.

Blair was shocked at his nerve. "Seth Cohen. If you walk away from me and fly back on your own, I will never speak to you again when I get back," she said to him with harshly. Her tone backfired. Seth shook his head at her.

"You know, Blair? Fine. Since you insist on choosing these insane friends of yours over me, then I guess I'll have nothing to say to you when you get back either," he replied, his eyes piercing ruthlessly into hers.

"Fine. Walk away, Cohen. I'll enjoy a perfectly blissful weekend on the Upper East Side. It'll be your loss, going back to that hellhole you call a home. Don't say I didn't warn you," Blair said snootily.

"And don't say I didn't offer you a chance to explain yourself. Actually, I think what you said to your friend…enemy – whatever – back there was right. Some people are just too different from each other for things to work out. I didn't believe you when you said that back then, but I've seen it with my own eyes today. This is your life, and I'm not welcome here," Seth said, as a sort of summary. His heart ached as he said the words, but he was too tired to even understand what he was saying.

"Are you…" Blair stammered, "are you _breaking up with me_?" Blair demanded, the question sounding more like a threat than an inquiry.

Seth paused and took a deep breath. "Yeah, yeah I guess I am. I'm done fighting for you, Blair. I'm always fighting for you. You need to decide whether you want to be with me or not. If this – if you and me – is really what you want, then you have to let go of this ridiculous past of yours. If not," Seth continued, taking another deep breath, "if not, I would be really, really sad, but I would also feel that maybe it's for the best."

Blair couldn't hear anything except for the sound of Chuck's taunting words in her head, from the time that she had bumped into him in Newport. _One of these days, it's all going to catch up to you. Even if I __did__ promise not to say anything…you can't hide from who you truly are, Blair. You know it deep inside your heart. That's what made you and me so good together – we're both so dark and twisted. He's going to see through all of this one day and realize just who you really are._

And he was right. All that it took was a short trip to the Upper East Side, and Seth had already had enough of the real Blair. Maybe Serena knew what she was doing when she pushed Dan away. Maybe letting go while it was still early on was better than being thrown off the pedestal and cracking her skull open in the process.

She swallowed hard to fight back her tears. "Yeah, you're right," she said softly. "Maybe it's for the best."

Then she turned around, not giving him a chance to be the first to walk away, tears streaming down her face all the way to Serena's penthouse, where she collapsed into her best friend's arms as they sobbed together until the skies grew as dark as their heavy hearts.


	30. Chapter 25 - The Layover

**A/N: Yup, so it's been a while. This chapter is another transition chapter, leading up to a more eventful one for the upcoming chapter. It's good to see a lot of you were so surprised at the break-up! What do you think will happen next! Will Seth be able to win Blair back? Will they finally be able to sort out their differences? Let me know what you think while I work on the next chapter to detail Blair and Serena's adventures at the MET gala :)**

"What did I just do?"

Seth knew he had made the biggest mistake of his life the moment he arrived at JFK. He wasn't really sure what had gotten into him. Actually, he pretty much regretted it the second the words left his mouth. He replayed the moment over and over again in his head just to make sure it had really happened – Blair yelling at him, basically challenging him to break up with her after treating him like dirt in front of her friends in New York, and his own spontaneously heroic moment when he finally decided that today of all days he would try to be a man and tell her he was done fighting for her. He shook his head as he glanced at the closed ticket counter, realizing that he should have just gone back to the hotel to spend a night there until the next available flight, which happened to be not until nine o'clock the next morning. He sighed heavily and tried to position himself in a way that would allow him to lie down as comfortably as possible, given that all he had to work with were hard, plastic seats.

This was going to be a long night.

He tossed and turned and fidgeted, trying to decide whether or not he had actually definitively broken up with Blair Waldorf, who happened to be the most amazingly brilliant human being he has ever met. He threw himself upright, reverting to a sitting position again as he frowned at his own stupidity. "Maybe it's for the best?" he repeated to himself aloud, using the same words he had used when telling Blair that he was ready to give up. He sighed again. Who was he kidding? It was a dumb, impulsive, dick move, and Blair was probably never going to forgive him for leaving her all alone in Central Park as he walked off without even bothering to look back in her direction.

He glanced at his cell phone – 2:03 a.m. Blair was probably asleep, or partying it up somewhere hip on the Upper East Side, surrounded by a million trust fund kids vying for her attention. That, or she was alone with her drop-dead gorgeous ex-slash-current-boyfriend _Nate_, who would console her about what a lucky escape she's had getting rid of that dork from Newport. He shook his head at his own thoughts, fearing that he was losing his mind. He contemplated calling her to take back everything he'd said, but realized that he didn't have her number in New York – _don't call me, I'll call you_ – and slouched back into his seat. His heart pounded against his chest furiously as he realized with a sinking feeling that he may just have lost her for good this time.

After closing his eyes and counting to six hundred and seventy-two sheep, Seth finally gave up on trying to sleep and decided to take a stroll in the empty airport instead, in search of anything at all that may help take his mind off Blair. He had only taken about fifty steps when he saw an old couple, sitting together hand-in-hand on a set of seats nearby. The looked around seventy, their hair white as snow, their faces covered with paper-thin skin that wrinkled just about everywhere. He stood where he was and watched them for a moment, admiring the amount of determination it must take to build a relationship that lasts through the ages. He continued to pay attention as the old man gently removed his hand from his wife's grasp, only so he could reach over to drape his jacket over her to keep her warm while she drifted to sleep. He knew he was spying in on a very private moment between the couple, but he just couldn't seem to step away from the tender scene. He briefly wondered whether he and Blair would ever be fortunate enough to grow old together. The thought of it brought an actual pain to his chest, and he placed his palm over it to will himself to stop thinking about her for, just so he could get some temporary relief.

The whimpering noises he made as he rested his closed fist against his mouth must have been louder than he thought, since it had managed to wake the old woman from her sleep. The next thing he knew, he was sitting beside the couple, detailing his relationship with Blair to them as if their last names were Atwood.

"So she's like, standing there, looking right past me as if I were a ghost, and the next thing I knew she was getting into a cab, telling me not to call her. I was in New York, which was like, my ultimate dream for as long as I can remember, and I couldn't even enjoy all the comic book landmarks 'cus my girlfriend left me behind to cater to her drunken, irresponsible frenemy. I mean, what is that?" Seth rambled on. He looked at them impatiently as the two of them shared a look. "And this is where you're supposed to give some kind of indication that you've been listening to me."

The old man moved his hand to his ear to adjust his hearing aid. "Sorry, son. I keep forgettin' to change the darn battery on this thing."

Seth rolled his eyes, Blair Waldorf-style. "I SAID, SHE JUST LEFT ME THERE! ON THE STREET! ON THE CAB!"

"She gave you a cat?" the old man asked, his eyes widening in surprise.

Seth sighed. He was starting to lose his voice from all the shouting. He didn't even know why he'd bothered telling them his story. Maybe he just wanted another perspective on the shitty way things ended. To his surprise, his paranoia was interrupted by the sound of the old lady's voice – her first time speaking all night.

"Sounds to me that you're just being a whiny little bitch," the old woman replied matter-of-factly.

Seth looked over at her in shock. "_Excuse_ me? I'm a whiny little bitch? And did you just – _swear_?" he asked dramatically. He shook his head quickly and got over it. "I'm not sure whether you heard the whole story right – she brought me here, then left me all alone to deal with her crappy so-called friends, and then ranted for like, ten minutes about how people like her don't settle with canned tuna like me," he explained, making a face as he said the words. "And _I'm _the little bitch?"

The old woman sighed impatiently in response. "You mean you _insisted_ on coming with her even though she told you she would be busy taking care of things with her _friends_ – who you have no business judging, by the way – and then when she _did_ leave you behind so you could be free to get a tour or New York and enjoy the city without tagging along as she did her business, _you_ threw a huge hissy fit because she didn't call you to ask whether you'd changed your diapers yet. So yes, you are the little bitch." She reached over to wipe the drool that was hanging from the edge of her husband's mouth.

"What? Can you believe – " he gestured frantically at the old man, trying to get some rapport from him. "Are you even _listening_ to this?" he cried in disbelief.

"Eh? Whatever the lady said – she's right," he answered, flashing a prize-winning smile at his wife. The old woman returned an equally shining smile, then turned to Seth with a self-satisfied smirk.

"That doesn't count. The guy's completely deaf. He had no idea what you said," Seth objected.

"Hey you be careful there young man. Ain't no one go around callin' me deaf, ya hear? I can hear just fine. Yer lil' lady left ya and now ya can't quit whinin', right? That the gist of it?" He looked at Seth meaningfully, who had been left speechless by the man's sudden recovery. "Look, son. If there's one thing I learned growin' up to be all wrinkly and grey, it's that the woman is always right. Yer wrong, ya say sorry. She's wrong, ya still say sorry. Ain't nothin' too complicated about it."

"I sure trained you well," the old woman replied, touching her husband softly on his nose as they stared dreamily into each others' eyes.

"That's it? That's your advice? That I should apologize, even though it was her who completely ignored me and made me feel out of place and inferior to her and her so-called elite friends?" Seth demanded. He wasn't quite sure why he was giving so much credibility to a quasi-deaf seventy-year old with a foul-mouthed wife, but he didn't really have many choices at four o'clock in the morning. "You don't even think it was a teensy weensy, little bit _her_ fault that this whole thing happened?"

"Boy, she can't make you feel inferior if you didn't have any of that going on in there yourself. She chose you, didn't she? She thought you were good enough for her to be called her boyfriend, and good enough to take home for everyone to see, didn't she? I don't think those are the indications of someone who's ashamed. Now, hiding in a corner eavesdropping on your girlfriend and her ex-boyfriend, on the other hand…that's some insecurity right there," the old woman pointed out knowingly.

"Hey don't judge me. You haven't seen the guy – he's basically Ian Somerhalder meet young David Beckham. I'd challenge anyone to not have an inferiority complex around that guy," Seth shot back defensively.

"And so, you conveniently shoved her back into his arms by walking out on her when she's back in her own hometown, which is probably flooding with the memories of the two of them together. Smart move," she answered without skipping a beat.

Seth's heart stopped beating for almost a full minute as he realized that she was completely right. "So what do I do? I told her I was done fighting for her. It's done. I'm finished. I may as well walk myself back to the pond in Central Park and drown myself," Seth cried in agony, his head in his hands.

"Well, it ain't over until it's over," the old man spoke up again suddenly. He pointed a shaky finger to the TV, which was muted but was showing a news broadcast of the upcoming events on the Upper East Side. "Yer lady sounds pretty fancy. Any chance you'll find her there?"

Seth looked up at the screen to see clips of celebrities from last year's MET gala. There was Gwyneth Paltrow, dressed like she had just walked out of the shower for the previous year's "Wet n' Wild" theme. Seth knew enough about Blair to know that the MET gala was the single most important event of the year for socialites and B-list celebrities. It was just his luck that this year's gala had been postponed a couple of weeks and would be taking place later on that day – where he was certain that he'd be able to find Blair. He turned to the old couple again.

"So you think it's worth a shot? Even though it's clear to everyone that we're both from completely different worlds – literally?" Seth asked doubtfully.

The old lady snorted. "Look at us. I've been with this fella for over 50 years now, and he's still the same goofy, unambitious, laid-back puppy dog I knew when we first fell in love. I told him I was way out of his league – and he just chased me and chased me until one day, I was tired of running and fell into his arms instead. Sure, we're different. But that's also what makes us perfect for each other – he's my up when I am down. And at the end of the day, you can focus on what's tearing you apart, or what's holding you together," she finally finished, patting her husband lightly on the head as he nodded off to sleep on her shoulder.

"Um…yeah, that sounds really familiar. I think I've heard that somewhere before," Seth mumbled vaguely. He turned back to tell her that he had made up his mind to find Blair and fight for her until she changes her mind, but stopped when he realized that the old woman had also drifted to sleep, her head resting on top of her husband's. He left the two of them as they were, afraid to break their peace, and wondered whether it could really be that easy to sustain a relationship for half a century, simply by just focusing on what holds two people together.

_Well, I guess I'm about to find out_, he told himself as he stepped out into the New York air and hailed himself a cab.


End file.
